Star Wars: Cassandra Lyn Adventures: Of Ghosts and Jedi
by Tenkai Nankobo 101
Summary: Cassandra Lyn has been Knighted and Talzin is dead but her ambitious ally, Triclops, still has plans for the galaxy. But within him lies a feverish ambition to find and master the powers said to be contained in the mask of the ancient Sith Lord, Darth Nihilus. As his ambition and Cassandra's power grow, an old ally holds the key to saving the galaxy or utterly destroying it.
1. Title, Prologue, and Chapter One

**Star Wars**

**Cassandra Lyn Adventures**

**Of Ghosts And Jedi**

**By**

**Christopher Cleveland**

**Prologue**

For all the things she had thought Triclops improved when he added his cybernetics, Hemera hadn't counted on patience for beings like the Mecrosa to respond to a call being one of them. However, it seemed like the Human part of her was ensuring that patience would indeed be an issue that she would have to cope with. _Is there no amount of cybernetic technology that can help me overcome this impatience without making me into a freak like Achilles?_ she asked herself silently. Just as she asked herself that, a Mecrosa emissary stepped into the quarters they had provided her which only had the space for one person, the only amount of space Hemera needed.

Nonetheless, she did have to admit that she admired the sliding doors with the thin flimsiplast coverings on the windows. She also admitted in silence to how she liked that there was only a flat cushion which acted as a meditation seat or else a light pad for sleeping on._ Guess they don't know much about what people call luxury, at present_ Hemera thought silently. "Lady Hemera, my Masters are waiting to see you," the emissary told her.

"Thank you, miss," Hemera replied. Following the petite little woman for a short ways, she was led back into the chamber where the Council had met when she arrived. As before, they were gathered in a perfect circle with black robes that hid all but their eyes and hands. However, Hemera didn't need to worry as she had the ability to see past the robes by changing her left eye's sightings at will.

Nonetheless, she didn't need to do that even to find out what their answer was. The leader spoke first though and Hemera had a feeling that she already knew what the answer would be. "Hemera, agent of Triclops, please understand that we have only hesitated because of the circumstances of the previous alliance. However, because the message that Triclops leaves has requested forgiveness, it will be safe to say that we shall renew the alliance.

"You may go ahead and tell your Master that we will join for a price that we shall name later. He will know it when the time comes," said the head Councilwoman. "Thank you, your ladyship. I shall inform him, at once," Hemera stated with a bow.

She was then dismissed from the Council and allowed to head back home. With her mission on Mecrosa completed, she could now head to her next task without delay except to inform Triclops. However, even this could be done with a simple recorded transmission sent to his facility on Dromund Kaas which was made within minutes and sent within seconds. _Now, on to deal with the Bladeborn and win over their allegiance with blood_ she reminded herself quietly.

She smiled at the prospect of being able to fight again so soon after defeat Master Luke Skywalker of the New Jedi Order in fair combat. This time, however, she had a feeling that the Bladeborn would not have the calm reserve that he did. After all, these were of a type of warrior society that had given their all to improving their blade techniques to allegedly unbeatable standards. _I will beat those standards, assuming Triclops' training modules haven't been for show_ she promised herself.

Until she faced these warriors, she was not going to say anywhere near the idea of her training being perfect: she would need to know how she did against these warriors first. Already, she had defeated a Mandalorian, a Jedi, and had persuaded the Mecrosa under her master's wing. This would be the last straw to knowing her true power and just the thought was enough to arouse her battle lust.

**Chapter One**

Cassandra had to admit that she was a little unsure as to what she would do with her new rank as a Jedi Knight. Her friend Rose had been made a Knight too and displayed the same confusion that Cassandra was experiencing. _Maybe we'll get our first real mission together and it'll help us sort out our place in the Order_ Cassandra thought quietly. It was funny that she had been thinking about that right then because what Rose said, shortly after both their ceremonies, partly concerned that.

"Hey Cassandra, while we're waiting for our first mission order, why don't we spar a little?" she asked. Cassandra smiled, wondering if her old friend had read her mind and decided to offer her a way to ease the tension. "You know what, Rose? I think I will accept your offer... did you read my mind before you made your offer?" Cassandra teased.

"No, it's just I noticed you were a little anxious just like me. Shall we head to one of the sparring chambers and see if you're still better than me with traditional combat?" Rose joked back. "You know it," Cassandra snapped. The two of them walked side by side, boys congratulating their Knighthood left and right alongside senior Jedi Masters as they made their way to the chambers.

When they arrived to an empty one, they settled not for using their real lightsabers but for using training rods that were available within the chambers. Rose donned a familiar low-guard stance which was a signature ready stance of Niman especially with the blade pointed diagonally to her left. Meanwhile, Cassandra donned a basic two-handed ready stance with her weapon pointed forward at her opponent. "Is that the best you can do?" Rose joked.

"Let's just say it's all I've ever needed when sparring with you," Cassandra teased. Rose shrugged, yielding a perfectly valid point to Cassandra and it was then that the friendly duel began. Cassandra decided to take the lead by leaping into the air and raising the pole over her head for a downward stroke. Rose, rather than attacking from beneath rose her weapon to defend against the blow and was soon forced on the retreat as Cassandra kept a steady supply of slashes coming.

She even utilized a slash that saw her sparring pole sliding across Rose's before being directed in such a manner as to attack her from behind though she deflected this with some strain. Cassandra then swooped her training pole into a Shien stance and tried to make a stab to her friend's belly. However, this was deflected but a counter followed with Cassandra lunging into the air and spinning to the right diagonally, landing with a slash that saw the training pole being pointed at her friend's left foot. She then made a basic jab that saw her lunging into the air, spinning her body once again before then righting herself to her feet and spinning to her friend's opposite flank.

However, Rose nearly landed a luck slash that might have vertically bisected Cassandra but she prevented this from happening by arching her back and placing her pole directly in its path. Thankfully, she had done this in a fashion that allowed her to pull her weapon back over her head. When she did this, she managed to whirl her pole towards her friend's face though this blow was also deflected. She kept up a steady barrage however, by spinning her weapon free only to push the flat edge at Rose.

When the Mark of Contact this was intended to be had successfully landed on Rose's weapon, Cassandra used her full physical strength to push her back against another wall. However, rather than squeezing her in, she pushed Rose off her blade and began aiming slashes at her ankle. "Whoa, the sexiest babes in the Academy are duking it out in the sparring chambers!" said one teenage boy. "Ten credits on Cassandra!" said another.

"No way dude, the Nautolan chick will kick her kriffing butt!" said a third. Cassandra smiled, pleased to see that their duel was attracting some attention. "Want to give them a show?" she asked. "Why not, they need something new to add to their methods of obtaining erections," Rose answered with a smile.

Cassandra laughed a little at that remark and let Rose push her off from the crossing of blades they had been at when the bets were being made. Rose continued the duel by leaping into the air and making a front flip with the weapon positioned in such a fashion as to bring it over her head. Making contact with Cassandra's when she landed on her feet again, she watched as Cassandra changed hands. However, she did this only to don a Shien position (weapon pointed backwards) and make to stab Rose in the throat though this blow was easily swatted away.

Cassandra was soon back on track, nonetheless, by with another leap into the air as well as spinning her blade back into a normal fighting stance before jabbing at Rose with it. She even did one slash from Makashi where she rose her blade into the classical ready stance then simply slashed across. Then she rose the blade up and over her friend, bringing the first round of their duel to an end when she used her pole to trip Rose and make her fall on her back, pointing it at her throat when she landed. "Pay up dude!" said the second teenage boy.

"No way dude, they're gonna spar some more and I'll pay if Cassandra wins the next one," said the third who had betted on Rose. But Cassandra needed only to take one look at her friend (and a scan of her own body) to know that there would be no second round. So instead, Cassandra tossed aside the training pole and helped her friend up to her feet before offering to get some grub with her. "Just like you to ask to get food after stomping my ass to the ground again," Rose teased.

"Told you dude, now pay up!" said the second teen that had been watching. "Damn it!" said the third before he forked out ten credits as per the bet. Meanwhile, the ladies shoved past them and wrapped arms across their shoulders to show there were no ill feelings about the turnout of the duel. "Next time, you aren't allowed to utilize Shien against me," Rose joked.

"Now where is the fun in that?" Cassandra replied. Both girls started laughing and nearly bumped into Kyle Katarn, who looked like he was actually relieved to see them. "What is it, my main man?" Rose spoke, feeling in the mood for the slang of the decade. Kyle chuckled and told them both that he was just coming with mission orders for both of them.

"The city world of Christophsis claims to be facing problems internally and the Governor has issued a decree that two Jedi should be sent to help either with negotiations or militant action. Since you two have been freshly Knighted, Luke has thought of sending you there for your first true mission. Think you can handle it?" Kyle asked. "Only one way to find out: accept the orders," Cassandra answered.

"Wise answer, you leave within two days. Do what you want to kill the time so long as you don't get into any trouble," he told them. Then he handed them separate datapads with the instructions and marched away, likely to tell Luke that they had accepted the mission. "What do you know?

"Our first official mission! Let's just hope that it's not one of those where we have to survive for months on basics," Rose said. "Why? Afraid you'll get your robes soiled?" Cassandra inquired.

"No, I'm afraid you will be doing that," Rose snapped with a smile. Both women laughed and decided it was best to begin seeing what they could pack up in the way of provisions. It was better to have them ready for the mission and not need them than need them and not have them ready, after all. But that was when Cassandra was stopped by a familiar face: her old master, Ken.

"You have done well for yourself, Cassandra and it seems as though I have forgotten to teach you how to create your own lightsaber," he said. "No you didn't, you taught us how to create lightsabers when you had us create our training ones," she replied. "Did I? Ha, I've taught so many classes now that even my own agenda is easy to forget sometimes!" he admitted.

"So is that all you came to tell me?" she asked. "No, I came with a gift. Remember how I told you I had three lightsabers from my grandfather's collection? I'm thinking of seeing what would happen if I gave you one of them as a graduation present," he answered.

"You can't be serious! Those lightsabers have been in your family for three generations! They're part of your entire universe!" she told him. "That's the best kind of gift to give, you know: the ones that mean the most," he said before handing her one of the lightsabers.

She took it into both of her own hands and that was when he asked her how it felt in her hand. To her surprise, as she admitted to him, it felt like a perfect fit in her hand. "Then ignite the blade and see how you feel then," he told her. She obeyed him after taking a few seconds to find the activation button and watched as a purple blade snaked its way out from within the bowels of the hilt.

"Incredible and just the right weight for me too," she confessed excitedly. "Then use it to destroy your training one," he said before using the Force to snatch the training one from her belt. Extending the hilt of the training blade so that the bottom end was enveloped in his hand, he held it like he was holding a bird that was served as food and beckoned her to obey him. She aimed the new blade carefully above the hilt of her old training one and when she was ready, she heaved it over her head.

At first, she hesitated, knowing how this lightsaber had helped her defeat Darth Cognus' specter in the Nelvaan cave. But that was a part of her old life and it hadn't helped her much against Mother Talzin when Ken's life was on the line. So when she brought her new blade down on the hilt of her old one, she was (at best) bittersweet about seeing the hilt being sliced in half. "Well done, Cassandra and now you have a blade that you can use to either take lives or save them for your mission," Ken said.

"But as a Jedi, I should always expect to either do one or the other or both, should I?" she replied. He nodded in admission and told her that as a Knight, it was now up to her to determine when to do one, the other, or both. "But remember that true courage is not about knowing when to take a life but when to be merciful and spare one, instead," he told her. "Thank you Ken, you are wise as you are kind," she replied.

"I wouldn't know about wise or kind but I do promise that I will be your friend and when you need me, I shall be there to assist you in whatever manner I can," he promised. "Thank you, you've been a great mentor and I hope you will become an even better friend," she admitted. Smiling, he thanked her for that and then told her that she could go ahead and get her stuff ready if she wished. "And what of Rose getting her own lightsaber?" Cassandra asked.

"If I know Leia well enough, she's taught Rose how to create a real one and that real one is the one Rose carries on her belt at present," he answered. Cassandra smiled, thanked him again for the new blade, then parted ways with him to prepare for her first true mission. _Will that be the last time I ever see him again? If so, that will be a good note to end our relationship on_ she thought to herself silently.

**After declaring a formal challenge** to the leaders of the Black Knight Council, Achilles stood ready to meet them in the shipwrecks of Hypori. This place had a symbolic meaning to Achilles though this was likely because this was where General Grievous had first revealed himself to the Old Jedi. Now, he would use the very wreck that had seen Grievous' first real engagement with those warriors of the Old Order to bring down leaders of a society that had been their enemy, many centuries before. "The Black Knight Councilmen have come alone as I told them, good," he said, thinking aloud when he saw them coming.

As he assessed what he was up against, he decided it would be best to start with the very top of the chain of command in these Councilmen and see what he could do about working his way down. Cut off the head and the body will die as Triclops had taught him in his earlier training exercises. "You must have the element of fear, surprise, and intimidation on your side. If any one element is lacking, it would be best for you to retreat as your template (Grievous) often did.

"It is better to break them before engaging them than it is to engage them directly and hope for a victory. Only when they have no mind to fight can you ensure victory and be one step closer to your desire for total conquest," he recalled Triclops stating. _Kill the leader first, it will break their resolve to fight me even if it doesn't happen immediately to every one of them_ Achilles thought quietly. It was then that Achilles decided to see what he could do in the way of an ambush that'd lead them here.

He even considered the idea of separating the leader from the rest of his Councilmen and attacking when he was alone. _Part of inspiring fear and intimidation is to surprise your enemy with division then conquest first_ Achilles reminded himself calmly. And it was while thinking about how he'd divide them, he recalled he had several holographic transmitters that'd project an avatar of him. With this in mind, he walked in stealth and deployed all six transmitters and programmed them to project an avatar of him at a distance that would ensure separation for all seven leaders.

Three were placed on the left and three more were placed on the right at such an angle that they'd never be found even when the other six Councilmen would realize they'd found fakes. However, he stood directly in the middle and waited for them to come into his trap. When they did, only a few minutes later, he activated the avatars and watched them become confused. "Which one of us is real?" he mocked to them.

"He's a master of illusions! We must find the source and eliminate it!" exclaimed a more squeamish member of the Council. "Fool, I sense no manner of magic at hand. These are likely projections from a avatar transmitter of some kind.

"Let us all split up and find the real one," the leader, square in the middle and in front of the real Achilles, ordered. _Normally, this would be a cunning move. However, today shall be an exception_ Achilles thought excitedly. Once they divided, he began the process of dislocating his arms so that he would have four blades then waited until the Knight in front of him was close. Patiently and confidently, he waited until the old man was close to where no one could save him then ignited all four blades.

It was true that the transmitters would do the same but none of them would kill their targets as he intended for it to be. Instead, it would seem like they would and the blades would harmlessly pass through them which was more than what could be said for the old Sith Pureblood before him. When he came with in striking distance, Achilles bore down with the first two than jabbed with the other two. The old man was dead in seconds while everyone else remained unharmed as he planned.

Now was the time to retreat to a higher vantage point and turn off the avatars before planning an ambush for them. To them, the avatars would be appearing to head towards the wreckage he had been at before and they would likely enter in hopes of killing him. But their leader was dead as they would discover and the panic would begin to set in on some of the weaker ones, soon enough. All Achilles did the moment he rose to the top of his perch was sit back and wait for the inevitable to begin.

**After parking the Jarvishquiine in** the Temple on Dromund Kaas, Triclops decided it was time to begin searching for the Mask of Nihilus, seeing as Hemera would be back soon enough. That was when one of his Kashi Mer spies stepped in and told him that Cassandra Lyn had just been Knighted. _So Talzin's death works even better in my favor than I originally anticipated_ Triclops thought. "Anything else?" he asked aloud.

"Yes, she and her Nautolan friend Rose will be headed for Christophsis within the day now. Word is, they've been assigned to settle some quarrels between political factions there through whatever means prove necessary," the spy answered. Triclops hesitated, unsure of what he should do in response to the news of Cassandra receiving her first mission without his son at her side. Then he recalled that Hemera had managed to sway the Mecrosa to join him and an idea came into his head.

"Good work, soldier. Stay here and continue with the duties of your kin as you were before I chose you, I will be arranging for a Mecrosa member to test our two special Jedi," he said. "Yes sir!" the Kashi Mer replied. _In the meantime, I shall have to think carefully as to how the Jedi can be tested by our Mecrosa friend_ Triclops thought silently.

"Why request for a Mecrosa when you can send me?" asked an intrusive voice. "You're one of the Jarvishquiine, aren't you? What be your name and why would I send you?" Triclops asked. "My name is Edward Chun and I used to be a member of the Jedi Order.

"I am not officially a member of the Jarvishquiine but I do serve besides them as a kind of bodyguard from time to time," the young man admitted. Triclops took a moment to recollect if he had heard the name 'Edward Chun' somewhere before and recalled that he did. "You were mighty plump when you were younger, were you not? While you're not exactly muscular now, I must say you've improved from those years but why should I send you?" Triclops said.

"I have a little score to settle with Cassandra for using mockery to defeat me in our Initiation Trials. Besides, if I destroy her then I will restore some measure of the honor stolen by her and by the misdeeds of my second cousin, Count Dooku," Edward told him. _A descendant of Lord Tyranus, eh? My, my, my_ Triclops thought.

"Hm, you actually might prove quite useful to me. Tell you what, deliver this memo to your Masters as soon as you can then return here promptly. If they ask you what it is, tell them it explains the details of what they want to know: they will know what I'm talking about when you say that to them. Depending on your speed, I may or may not have you go instead," he ordered aloud, handing a chip with his recordings of their desired ritual in it.

It wouldn't take Triclops very long to decide, he just wanted to see how obedient this second cousin of Dooku happened to be. The greatest advantage of having Dooku as an apprentice, in his father's eyes, had been how he had been so arrogant as to think he was trying to serve his own ends. Smiling, he poured himself a small glass of Moraband Fire Whiskey and quickly gulped it down as he came to only one conclusion: if nothing else, the kid could give him a proper assessment of the Jedi. In particular, his fall could tell Triclops what were Cassandra's strengths and weaknesses.

Was she good with one blade or was she much better when wielding Jar'Kai? Had she actually faced someone with a saberstaff in combat or would this be her first time? These were questions that would be answered not only when it came to Cassandra but also for anyone that went with her. This included the Nautolan that his Kashi Mer spy mentioned as heading to Christophsis with Cassandra.

Talzin's death was more an assessment of Cassandra's abilities with the Force and her martial arts skills as a lightsaber would have been useless against the witch at her highest peak. _What I am curious to know is if she's traded that incredible power in unarmed combat for weak lightsaber skills. Did Ken fail to train her well or is she rounded enough to be like him and, really, almost anyone in our family that's fine-tuned powers of the Force?_ Triclops thought calmly. The three-eyed mutant thought out each possibility meticulously and with an ice-cold calm that even his father would admit was frightening.

However, when the kid who called himself a second cousin of Count Dooku had returned, Triclops' decision was set. "Go to Christophsis, if you have a personal ship then take that there but if not, stow away on the next cargo ship out of here. Either come back with their lightsabers and their heads on a platter or don't come back at all," he told the young man. "That's precisely what I intended when I offered my service to you," Edward replied proudly.

_A pity, I was beginning to hope you were less prideful than your ancestor was when my father wasn't present to put him in his place. Nonetheless, you just might give me a reason to assign the Mecrosa to spy on the Jedi through your actions_ Triclops hissed mentally. When the young man was gone for what he sensed would be the final time, he mused over that idea. The Mecrosa were indeed Masters of espionage and deception, on top of being perfectly capable in a lightsaber duel.

It was then that he decided it would be best to ensure that Edward wouldn't be missed by the Jarvishquiine but even with that curiosity in tow, he was unprepared for what he'd hear. Edward was so lazy as a bodyguard that the Jarvishquiine could easily think of hundreds that were better candidates. "Then consider this a bonus tribute: I have taken a lazy bodyguard out of your hands and delivered him into the hands of someone who would be encouraged to kill him," Triclops replied calmly. "Why did we ever consider the possibility of not renewing our alliance with your family?" asked a Councilman, rhetorically.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

Achilles had succeeded in what he hoped to achieve: forming fear and intimidation in the minds of the remaining Black Knight Councilmen by surprising and killing their leader. Now, they moved into where he could kill them with relative ease and he decided now was the time to truly reveal himself. Jumping from the vantage point he had used before, he landed on his feet without having to rely on the jets since his fall crushed the youngest Black Knight Councilmen and landed him among the others. Achilles simply hacked and lashed with two blades at three of the Councilmen then used his rotisserie abilities when the other two came close to him.

Isolating the one who appeared to be eldest of the survivors, he then continued his bombardment of slashes and hacks though he added his second pair of arms to the escalating battle. Once he did that, one Councilman was immediately cut down while another only lasted seconds longer than his friend. The reason for this was because when Achilles hit the first one's lightsaber with his upper left arm, he sliced through with the lower one. Though the lower blade eventually found its way to the second Councilman's blade, the upper one now found its own way through his neck within seconds.

Now, with all four blades ignited, Achilles decided to rotate two hands in the direction of his original target though he sometimes stopped and rotated his arms when the other survivor came close. But when that other survivor tried to hack at his leg, only to discover the cortosis plating on it, Achilles wheeled around entirely and sliced him to ribbons. "Coward, put aside two of those blades and face me as you were before!" the final Councilman shouted. Achilles turned to face him and when he analyzed the old Zabrak man's tone, he detected the fear that Triclops told him to always seek.

"You're afraid aren't you? You don't want to die without maintaining your naive sense of what honor is, do you?" Achilles mocked the calm but growling tone he had used with Leia back on Kamino. The man's hands slightly shook even as he held his lightsaber and said nothing, which was all the cyborg needed. "Too bad that I intend to deny you the right to die with your skewed sense of honor intact, Strategics 101: destroy your enemy's mind and you have already won.

"I have destroyed _your_ mind and so, I have already won without regard to what I decide to do or not do," he added after a couple moments of silence. With that said, he began a slow forward charge with two hands being rotated in front of him and the other two in the back, ready to impale at any time. The Black Knight did what he could to keep an eye on all four arms but found that he just couldn't do it which would prove to be his last mistake. At the very moment that it looked like Achilles would lash out the same way he had done to the Council's leader, he suddenly changed and vertically rotated all arms.

The poor bastard was lucky if he lasted half a standard minute before he was cut into dozens of tiny pieces. However, when Achilles realized that his job was done, he made sure that anyone he had not decapitated or dismembered was dead with a quick stab from a single blade. When he did this, he decided it was time to check in with Triclops and return to Dromund Kaas for the next line of duty. "Milord," he said when he finally got a transmission through.

"Is it finished?" Triclops asked. "Yes, I will be using one of the Councilman's comlinks to declare I am the new leader of the Order of the Black Knights. Then I shall return to Dromund Kaas and begin gathering our 'Fleet Commanders'," he answered. "Very excellent, Achilles.

"Within the time that it takes you to get here, the Dark Jedi who are interested in your offer will begin pouring in. The last stages of our setup are beginning and we will be ready to strike at the heart of the New Republic with what we have," Triclops proudly stated. Achilles cut transmission, feeling there was no longer a need to speak with his Master, before then stepping out of the shipwreck. The sun shone proudly on the cyborg as he marched back to his shuttle and demanded to go straight home.

**Arriving to the homeworld of** the Bladeborn, Hemera wasn't surprised to see that there wasn't any sign of non-combative technological advancement here. When they weren't relying on less haunted temples in Moraband, they were living in tents and huts more designed for nomads than blademasters. Immediately, it reminded her of the temporary camps set up by the Death Watch when she had first come to challenge her predecessor as leader of the group. However, she chose not to dwell on that and when guards came to ask what she was doing here, she told them immediately.

"I have come with a proposal for the master of these people. A challenge of the sort that just might interest him or her," Hemera said. "We shall inform him of your proposal on the double, state your name and we shall be swift," said one of the guards. Hemera obeyed and the guards took off while she waited on the fringes of the improvised camping space.

After a while, the leader of the Bladeborn himself emerged from within the temple and from her thermal readings, she had a good idea that he already suspected what she had to offer. When he was within meters of her, she had a funny feeling that he was going to be angry in his demands. "Don't waste my time and tell me what you have to offer!" he ordered. "I challenge you to a match and if I win, I take over for your people until further notice and that is all," she replied.

"I accept your challenge," he said, his masterblade withdrawn and used to point to an arena for combat. Seeing the Master of the Bladeborn withdraw his katana, many subordinates gathered to take a place as part of the audience for this spectacle. Hemera decided, in order to make the challenge fair, to use only her darksaber for this one and make as many tactically advantageous moves as needed. However, that ended up being something she almost wished she didn't do as she saw his first move which easily saw six different methods of immediate defeat.

The reason for this was because his attack was a basic overhead stroke with intent to charge at her being very likely and she had to admit she was wondering if it was wise to hire the Bladeborn. Nonetheless, she aimed her blade low and waited as he charged since she figured it would be better to end it quick than to let it continue needlessly. So when she finally charged, she rose up the blade so that it would slice through his waist before then wheeling around and making an equally fatal diagonal cut. Then, just as quickly as she made the cuts, she deactivated the blade and placed it back in its magnetic scabbard.

Several seconds past but eventually, the weight of her opponent's blade made it so that the left diagonal portion rapidly slid off the right before it fell off the waist. After that, the lower half fell completely over and everyone watched in awe as what they thought would be a spectacle ended. "Damn it! I thought we were in for a show!" exclaimed one.

"I claim the Leader's masterblade and my rightful place as Regent of the Bladeborn. Your new Master will be appointed by my grace in due time," she told them all. "Where to now, woman?" asked a Bladeborn. Smiling, Hemera knew that the answer was already crystal clear though she kept them in suspense for a little bit before speaking.

"We are headed to Dromund Kaas, immediately. Be ready to fly out in as little time as possible," Hemera ordered. The Bladeborn began running like hell to gather what few belongings they had and obey her instructions. Meanwhile, Hemera decided she didn't want to be stuck on this planet, waiting for them to gather themselves up for transportation.

Instead, she headed back to the shuttle that had brought her here and to the Mecrosa, intentions to refuel upon returning in mind. She submitted a report to Triclops and told him that she would be on her way back to Dromund Kaas soon. "Everyone, I expect to see you on the other side of the lightspeed trip to Dromund Kaas. Those who choose to ignore this order have been warned that they will be outcast from the Bladeborn and hunted down like animals by their brethren!" she vowed.

**Ferus Olin was still looking** for a good latch onto the trail of Triclops when news began circulating of the cyborg who held her own against Skywalker on Ryloth. The rumor of a cyborg attacking Leia on Kamino was much too fishy to go on but this was perfect. "Only Triclops would design a contraption like that. If I pick up its trail, I might be able to find him again," he thought aloud.

It was at this moment that he sensed a disturbance in the Force, like a powerful warrior being slain in battle. So vivid was the detail that he could make out the skies and climate of Moraband, as well as a man with a vibroblade briefly appearing. This led to only one conclusion: the Master of the Bladeborn had been murdered and his position had been usurped by someone of interest. _Maybe the cyborg did this... I'm going to have to see if I can intercept a Bladeborn on Moraband_ he thought.

Plugging in the coordinates, he made the jump but he wasn't sure if he had picked a convenient point at which to do it. He was just leaving Mustafar, where he had thought he picked up a trail when he heard rumor of the Kuat foundry there still being active even with Black Sun's demise. Though there was nothing to link the Kuat to Triclops, they had thrown quite a fuss about him being around. Nonetheless, he had gotten out unscathed and now decided it was best to follow his instincts and investigate the disturbance on Moraband.

After jumping into lightspeed, he had to admit that he was going to have to stop somewhere to get fuel after the jump off Moraband, unless he wanted to be stranded on the next planet. _Actually, I wonder if that would be a nice change of pace unless it's somewhere dreadful_ he told himself. Though he was used to lightspeed trips, something made him impatient about this one which was always a good indicator of Triclops' handiwork. "Even when he was in prison, that guy always knew how to make me tick," Ferus admitted to himself.

Placing the ship on autopilot for a bit, he decided to retrieve his lightsaber from within its cabinet and have a good look at it. Sometimes, the beat-up old weapon needed a proper inspection for maintenance and other such purposes but something told him this was different. Yes, it was still in good shape and needed no maintenance whatsoever but he felt like he'd die without it at some point. "Hopefully, when I'm old and have already passed this blade unto someone else," he told himself calmly.

**Arriving on Christophsis, Cassandra** and Rose had to admit that for all the talk of a pristine city, this place still looked like a warzone. It probably made sense, seeing as the Republic had not done too much to help rebuild Christophsis nor had the Empire even bothered to step in, at all. The people of Christophsis had every reason to be angry with Jedi and yet they weren't. In fact, Cassandra and Rose were practically given the royal treatment compared to what they were expecting to run into.

"Why are you people so generous to the Jedi when they were the ones who abandoned you?" Cassandra asked. "We know it was not the fault of the Jedi but the fault of the Supreme Chancellor and his staff in the Old Republic that we were left to reconstruct our world on our own. It's the way it's always been since this world was found by the Republic, eighteen-hundred years ago," said one civilian. Rose whistled when she heard that little factoid but when formalities were out of the way, Cassandra requested to know the full details as to the kind of trouble the people of Christophsis were reporting.

"It's a group of scum who think that we should be paying back the Jedi for what this rebellion accuses them of doing back in the Clone Wars. Already, they've thwarted several efforts by our reconstruction crews to rebuild several important monuments. If possible, please settle the matter through diplomacy but we will approve if you can't do that," said a Christophsis magistrate. "Damn, sounds like a load of fun," Rose joked.

"Shouldn't be too difficult, even if these guys are gonna be a little stubborn. They're probably little older or younger than us," Cassandra told her. "Actually, most of these are elders within standard sixty years of having been alive. They are attempting to target younger blood, however," said the magistrate.

Rose decided not say anything aloud but did send a telepathic memo, Cassandra's direction. _You know it's fishy when most of the older people are rebelling against the established order and trying to recruit younger people into their game. We will definitely have to be careful with this one_ she said. Cassandra nodded and asked the magistrate where they might be able to contact a recruiter for the rebellion.

"They usually keep to the mountains, ten miles away from here. However, they have invaded the city from time to time and made quite a mess of things," the magistrate told her. "Then I suppose, risky as it may be, we'll just have to wait until they attack again and get their attention by taking action. It seems like if we want these rebels to notice us, we'll have to let them come our way," Cassandra said.

"You're not serious!" the magistrate exclaimed. "Strategics 101: if you can't beat an enemy through fear, surprise, and intimidation then boost their confidence to the point of arrogance. Follow it up by a swift assault that's sure to shatter their lines and that confidence. On the rare occasion that the leader of an enemy force actually shows interest and wants to see about recruiting you, act on it.

"But if you have a better idea, we're all ears," Rose snapped. Cassandra raised an eyebrow in her direction and used telepathy to ask Rose where she learned all that. _Uncle Kit used to tell stories about how he did that to my Dad, who passed them onto me too_ she admitted through the Force. "She does have a point, magistrate.

"This won't be an easy task and if the leader shows interest in us, it's only a matter of repeating the first step: boosting his confidence to the point of arrogance. Then it would be up to you and your people to lure them into a trap and destroy them, shattering their confidence forever. It's how Thrawn did it, it's how the Emperor usually did it before him, and it has a small margin of failure. But like my Nautolan friend suggested, if you've got a better idea, offer it," Cassandra added aloud.

"But you're Jedi! You can't do that," the magistrate said. "Meh, we're the new Order: had to make a couple changes as a result of things that brought the old Order down. We don't forbid attachments anymore, for example," Cassandra told him.

The magistrate went white as a sheet and looked like he was going to dismiss them from the mission. However, he calmed and realized that he probably didn't have anything better to offer and conceited the point to them. "We've been getting good at anticipating their attacks and have mastered several methods of doing just that. Nonetheless, they do still manage to slip through the cracks from time to time, cracks that just might be filled in by Jedi like you," he added.

"Depends on the quantity and types of cracks we're talking about," Cassandra said. "Normally, these are few and very minute when compared to our overall success. Even so, they have managed to not only slip through but also make a dent when they did," the magistrate confessed. "Get us as much data on their strategies as possible: I want as detailed of a plan as I can get, in order to help you.

"Rose will also need to look over the data so that she can assess how she and I will collaborate for this," Cassandra said. "I shall have that for you, immediately. In the meantime, enjoy these lovely headquarters that we have provided you two," the magistrate said. Then he disappeared and this was where Rose and Cassandra had a private discussion of their own. "He checks out as being okay, in my book: a little scared but alright," Rose started.

"How can you tell?" Cassandra asked. "Anyone who's that big and fat usually needs only to worry about the size of their checkbook in situations like this. Seldom will there be a situation where he'd have to betray someone who's working to help him out," Rose answered. "What reason would he have to betray us, if we're here to help?" Cassandra inquired.

"Only logical reason I can think of doesn't even sit well with what he's indicated about the rebellion so far: higher paycheck from them for infiltrating the cracks and delivering us to them. Remember, he mentioned they're people who have largely retired from being productive members of the Christophsis' regrowing society. Even with a retirement check big enough to get things going, most of these guys will be lucky if there is any amongst them wealthy enough to pay fatso off," Rose said. "Unless he's a private donor from within the ranks, sending money to them in order for them to keep it going," Cassandra suggested.

"Good point. Guys like him don't mind occasionally causing a little chaos when gluttonous eating and porking a lot of paid whores isn't entertaining enough," Rose admitted. "Did you see his grey hairs with some white strands at the top? He looks like he'd be way too old for even paid harlots to enjoy him," Cassandra replied.

"They don't have to enjoy him, they just have to suck his credits like they suck his dick. Besides, the older they are, the more they pay for fun. The more they pay, the more obligated harlots are to provide the fun," Rose said. "Okay, gross as that is, I conceit it," Cassandra retorted.

"Actually, that is another logical reason why he'd be helping the rebellion: he's bored out of his wits with his everyday life and wants to stir shit up a little. Whether or not he betrays the rebellion to our presence depends on his tastes, entirely," Rose continued. "So we're putting our lives at risk to find out if he is on our side and how to get a hold of a recruiter. Sounds like something we do every day," Cassandra snapped.

"Are you kidding, woman? That's _all_ we do for a sizable check from the New Republic for our services, well, sizable considering we're not doing anything else to make dough," Rose joked. Cassandra burst into laughter at that remark, admitting it was a good point about the financial situation that they and many Jedi were facing in the Order. Getting back to seriousness after a good laugh, Cassandra asked Rose what they'd be looking for as evidence of their friend's affiliations.

"You will know that once we make it out and once I assess his initial reaction to our success. Your autism means you can still be very deficient in the art of understanding body language even at normal levels, much as I hate admitting it," Rose said. "Then teach me what to look for once you've made your observations," Cassandra told her. "Won't be quite that simple but I will try my best to fulfill that request," Rose promised.

"So we just sit and wait until he's found out about a new attack, am I correct?" Cassandra asked. "Actually, let's ask him how's been anticipating the attacks then have him show us the guys behind it, if that's possible. His reaction to that request would be another good way to determine whether or not he's one of them," Rose answered. "You have it down, woman," Cassandra stated.

"Only on our friend here, the rest might have to be up to you since you're the real brains and the real brawn of this operation," Rose confessed. "I don't know about being the real brains after that spew but thanks for pointing out my awesome muscles!" Cassandra teased. "If you can absorb information that would have seen me committing suicide, you are definitely the brains!" Rose exclaimed. "Never thought my gifts in learning were so revered," Cassandra retorted.

"Trust me, half the Order would give anything for a brain like yours," Rose told her. "Is this half the half with fish between their legs or does it include beef too?" Cassandra joked. "Dammit Cassandra, why do you always have to say those gross things!?" Rose screamed. "To be fair, it's a real turn-on for a lot of boys," Cassandra replied.

"So do you use your left hand or right hand for those ponderances?" Rose inquired. "You're getting better," Cassandra said, grinning maniacally at that comment. Both girls had a good laugh at that and when the magistrate came back, Rose proposed her idea. His reactions gave no indication of treason and when he showed them how they did it, the Jedi were baffled.

All it turned out to be was a chain of informants, surveyed for their protection, giving each other a piece of flimsiplast that a man at the beginning of the chain had written information on. Every dozen miles or so, the informant who had the piece passed it onto another until it reached the magistrate. "Damn, outdated as that may be, it's proving effective," Cassandra admitted. "Since the Clone Wars, we haven't been able to afford any better," the magistrate glumly confessed to them. _Then how does he know his actual wealth?_ Rose thought silently.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

Pleased to see that Achilles and Hemera were ahead of schedule with their tasks, Triclops suddenly sensed a dark presence that he had not sensed in a while. However, he distinguished it for what it was immediately and was surprised by how vivid it was compared to before. _Does this mean that Dromund Kaas is not far from where the mask of Darth Nihilus lies?_ he asked himself. Thrice, he had felt this presence in his life and each had been more vivid than the last had been.

This time, it was so vivid that he could actually make out some elements of the surroundings: a durasteel platform was on one side with wide grassy fields covering most of the rest. He knew of several planets that had such a temperate setting but the wreckage seemed ancient. In fact, it seemed like it belonged to a Dynamic-class freighter that crashed there, millennia before. _I have only heard of one world where such a ship crashed into a temperate environment._

_But how is it possible that pirates and other crime loving scum have not touched the freighter in so long? Volik has plenty of those on its surface and they are usually more than thorough about raiding things like an ancient ship?_ Triclops asked himself silently. Then he reminded himself that the criminal scum there only looked for what they could immediately grab. Cutting through crates or finding secret corridors would likely have been more effort than they'd like to put in.

"Achilles, wait for Hemera to get back then continuing supervising preparations in our Empire. I think I may have found the weapon that shall prove unstoppable in helping us achieve victory. Once my shuttle is fully fueled, I head to Volik to find the subject of decades of obsession: Darth Nihilus' mask. The power in the mask, if the legends hold water, will allow me to plunge the galaxy into chaos and together we shall rebuild the galaxy under our rule," Triclops said.

"That sounds delightful, milord. I shall wait here for your return and if you bring the mask in tow, perhaps we shall begin our little conquest," Achilles offered. "I shall see if that will be possible when I return," Triclops admitted with a smile. Making sure that the shuttle was ready, he also asked if Edward Chun had been sent to Christophsis though he was soon assured that he had been.

"Excellent, then if Cassandra and her Nautolan friend are anything with a lightsaber, he shall be eliminated from the equation. Have a messenger tell the Jarvishquiine that if he is eliminated, it's on me. I only needed them to join and the ritual I taught them to do was my payment for that. However, this will be a 'thank you for joining me' gift," Triclops ordered. "Yes Sir!" replied a subordinate.

"Is my shuttle ready?" Triclops asked. The engineers supervising it told him that it was and that the pilot would be along shortly to take him where he needed to go. "Unless he knows this, get me a pilot who knows how to reach Volik," Triclops said. "Volik? As in the Unknown Regions, sir?" inquired a nearby pilot.

"Have you been there?" Triclops replied. "Only once and the coordinates are the only information I've cared to keep over the years since I went there. The place is crawling with thugs and there's a bad vibe about it," the pilot confessed. "That is all I need: take me to the freighter wreckage on Volik or as close to it as possible," Triclops replied.

"Are you kidding? That place is haunted!" the pilot warned. "Precisely, now do not question a direct order, boy!" Triclops hissed. "Yessir, sorry sir," the pilot glumly stated.

"That's better," Triclops told him. The pilot boarded the ship within a few seconds or so but he wasn't ready for a standard couple minutes or so. In the meantime, Triclops decided that it would be of his best interest to send a telepathic message to Ferus Olin as to his whereabouts. Smiling, Triclops hated admitting that he had played with that boy long enough and it was time to end his life now.

_Ferus Olin, if you can hear this then you are to come to Volik and look for the wreckage of an ancient freighter. There, you will find me waiting for you and we shall bring an end to our jousts for greater power forever_ Triclops said through the Force. Then the pilot stepped out of the shuttle to tell him that they were ready to take off. And with that, Triclops stepped into the Imperial shuttle that had been a gift from his father and left for Volik.

Ferus arrived to Moraband and saw that he was already too late to intercept anyone of significance in the ranks of the Bladeborn. "Excuse me, can anyone tell me where you're going?" he asked into the mob that remained. "Our new Master might not have wanted you to know where we're going," began one elder individual. A young man, his son as the boy indicated, tried to stop him but the old man waved a hand up which was a sign for him to back down.

"However, since I am too old to care what happens to me now, you will know that we are headed for Dromund Kaas. Why we need to go there is beyond me but even so, I will go with my family," he continued. _Dromund Kaas, the former home of the Prophets of the Dark Side? That place is ancient as it is powerful... no wonder why Triclops would go there_ Ferus thought.

It was then that he received the kind of splitting headaches that he only got when Triclops was trying to invade his mind with telepathy. However, Ferus chose not to fight it this time: he wanted to know why Triclops was doing it now as he always had a different reason when he did it. This time, however, it was to announce that he would be waiting for Ferus on Volik in a freighter wreck. "So the end of our jousts for power is at hand, eh?" Ferus whispered after thanking the old man for his info.

He checked his ship's fuel levels and was thankful to have just enough to reach Volik before needing to refuel his ship. Granted, he had the emergency fuel compartment which would get him as far as a system where he could get the rest (like Malastare) but he needed something to get back home. The thought of home actually reminded him that it was time for him to call his wife and break the news to her. Reaching for his comlink, he plugged in his home frequency and when the hologram of his wife came up, he broke the news to her.

"Honey, the time is nearly here where I have the final battle with Triclops. If I win, I'll return home and settle down with you for good. If I lose then I will be dead and if I die, I thought I'd tell you now that I love you and I love the kids with all my heart. In the event that I win, I promise this will be the last time I leave for anything," he explained.

"You would betray your identity as a Jedi for me?" she asked. "The time of the old ways, including a ban on attachments by the way, is long gone. Besides, even if I were to stand down once I've dealt with Triclops, the New Order will do what I couldn't and more," he answered. "There is always that point... very well then: kick his ass then come back to me, darling," she said.

"I love you and our family more than life itself," he said. "I know," she replied. Then, feeling there was nothing more to be said, he cut transmission and applied emergency fuel to his ancient ship. Once he knew the old hunk of bolts would make it to Volik, he applied the coordinates then made the jump when cleared to do so.

**Since Cassandra left from** under his wing, Ken had to admit that he wondered (as he often did with his most stellar students) if he had done a good enough job for her to survive on her own. If he did, then the choice to learn more from him and Kendalina would be up to her now. It also would no longer be a formal apprenticeship since she had already become a Knight but Ken wouldn't mind that. _Yet now, she is off on her first mission without me... will she handle it?_ he asked himself silently.

He knew she was capable of great things as he had seen when she single-handedly attacked and destroyed Mother Talzin on Dathomir. However, there was still much she had to learn about the more subtle creations of the Force, things he suspected that he had failed to teach her. "Something vexes you, Ken, what is it?" asked Kendalina, his mother. At first, he hesitated both out of surprise that she was even around to see him vexed and unsure if he should tell her.

"Nothing for you to worry about, mother. I promise," he finally told her. "Ken, I don't need telepathy to see something's wrong: I just need to be your mother. What's bothering you?" she insisted. "It's Cassandra: I'm not even sure I taught her everything she will need to know to survive," he admitted.

"Ken, how old were you when you first met your father? And when you met him, what had you been doing whenever you were with Skywalker and the other Rebel leaders? You were surviving just as much as she is going to learn to do now that she is out from under your wing. If you could survive as long as you have and grow up to be taking care of me, you needn't worry about her," she promised.

"But Cassandra is different: orphaned at five, taken in by the Solo family at that point, and trained to be a Jedi by those who could actually watch over her and document her progress like I did. Most of my training was done when Luke only had a couple hours to spend, teaching me self-defense techniques before Leia formally trained me in the Jedi arts," Ken said. "Then consider her life just an improved version of what you went through, which I confess is partly my fault," she replied. "No mother, you couldn't have known that Trioculus would obsess over the Lost City.

"You also couldn't have known that the false Prophets of the Dark Side were interested in finding me, if only to show my lineage to me. It is the will of the Force that such things happened... I just didn't want Cassandra getting the short end of it and I guess I still don't," he confessed. "You forged an uncanny yet powerful bond with her, of course you would care that deeply for her. It's only natural considering what you went through with your wife and two sons," she told him.

The memories of his wife taking their children and leaving him after his last quarry had revealed that he was a grandson of Palpatine still haunted Ken. Just the mention that Kendalina gave was enough to reignite the pains of the past in that area even as he remembered illusions of them being cast at him. How dare my father do that to me!? Ken mentally exclaimed. "I still try to forget that," he said aloud.

"Maybe Cassandra is the answer to the question of how you could forget. No, she could never be your wife but she could be like a daughter to you," she suggested. He thought about that for a moment and did observe that he had spent more time with her than almost anyone else. "Not a bad idea," he agreed with a smile.

However, it did make him beg an important question: what to do if Cassandra decided she wanted a family? While it was indeed true that you could care less about having a family or even falling in love in the heat of a mission or even a full-scale battle what about peacetime? What about what happened when she actually had time to spare on her hands and she wasn't fighting for the military? Would Ken be forced to sit back and watch as the NR staff assigned her to diplomacy missions or making runs to make sure a war didn't break out in the systems it now controlled?

Or would they pull up the card of her being a war hero and war heroes were not needed in peacetime? If they laid her off after she performed her duties, what would become of the social network she might have made during the times of heated battle and carnage? Ken had been in enough battles to know the effects of bases of friendship after battles were won: either they ended in death or not well. Granted, there was the occasional exception as experienced with the Jedi Order, both in the olden days and the New Order.

But even then, the bonds between members were often tense as the battlefield often showed just how an individual might hold onto their sense of morality when put under that kind of pressure. Someone who would have said they couldn't kill to save their own hide, for instance, could become a bloodthirsty psychopath after being dropped into enough fields under the assumption they survived. Would something like that happen with Cassandra but so profoundly that no man in the galaxy would want her for his wife or even just his girlfriend? These were things that had Ken truly concerned for her well-being in the future and he wondered if Kendalina was being too passive about this.

"So what's the story, are you going to accept her as your daughter and be there to help her when possible?" Kendalina inquired after a long enough silence. "Yes but I think I may have one more idea for her, something that just might assist her balance the life of the Jedi with the life of a Human. How I will be able to execute it remains to be seen but the idea is in my head," he replied. "What is it?" she asked.

"You will find out, soon enough. That much I promise but for now, please continue with your exercises: the sooner you recover the full strength of your muscles and bones, the better," he answered. She shrugged, admitting that he was probably right about that, before deciding to return to the exercises she had been conducting with her lightsaber earlier. Meanwhile, Ken watched to see if she would need improvement with any of her technique.

**After being shown around** as to the technique for detecting the movements of the Christophsis guerilla force, Cassandra and Rose had to admit they were decently surprised. "Do you still think our Royal Fatness could be a funder for the guerilla troops?" Cassandra asked. "He was polite enough to agree to our offer which puts a little mud in my perception of him. However, I think it would be safer to remain skeptical than to take his word for it and trust him," Rose answered.

"So he put mud in your perception, eh? Why not put a turd in your eyes as well?" Cassandra joked. "Screw you!" Rose snapped. "If only you could," Cassandra retorted back, causing both girls to start laughing.

However, they soon got back to brass tacks and Cassandra asked if there was any ideological reason for them to remain skeptical. "Well, he did kinda rush it when he was showing us how he detected guerilla movements. It's as if it was a once-in-a-lifetime or like he was planning on leading the guerilla party right into the facility and having them destroy it. I don't understand why he would when it's the most reliable thing he has unless he is behind funding for this rebellion," Rose said.

"So we're still at the square one point of risking our lives to find out what his agenda is, right?" Cassandra asked. "Or at least having a nudge in the right direction, yes," Rose answered. "All that effort for even a nudge, damn," Cassandra stated. "Well, sometimes you have to work hard to even scratch the surface," Rose admitted.

"Are you ready for this? I mean, are you ready to kill living and breathing beings with the sentience to wield a blaster and try to kill you? I've already killed at least one such person, Mother Talzin was of a sophistication far past this. But even so, I was still scarred by the experience so I want to know if you think you can handle this," Cassandra told her.

"Well, killing guerilla soldiers who are likely just protesting against the way their system has been is different from killing a child of the Chaos Mother herself. I guess... given that this will be more common than killing the likes of Mother Talzin, there is only one way to find out: do it," Rose confessed. "Wise answer and take it from someone who knows what it's like to kill... it's not as pretty as it's made out to be," Cassandra promised. "With you by my side, I'm invincible," Rose retorted.

_With that bravado attitude, it's going to be amazing if I don't get her killed. Or am I just being hyper-scared as a result of my experience with Talzin?_ Cassandra thought silently. "You would be surprised as to how vulnerable Ken had been when I killed Talzin. And he's one of the more powerful members of the Order," she warned aloud.

"Only Ken is not known for his body count, is he?" Rose asked. "True and there is a reason: he knows at least twenty-four fates worse than death that he can deploy at any time. He also knows thirty-six fates better than death that he prefers to deliver to his opponents, if possible," Cassandra said. "Good point," Rose admitted.

"So what time does he anticipate the guerillas attacking?" Cassandra asked. "Way to change the subject back to what it was. Anyhow, we'll know when he gets his little letter from his informants and considering their efficiency, I wouldn't be surprised if we knew within the next couple standard hours," Rose answered. "I see, you want to spar in the meantime?" Cassandra offered.

"Nah, we'll need all the fighting energy we can get if we're gonna be fighting rebels. I got a pazaak set though, haven't had the chance to use it yet," Rose replied. Shrugging, Cassandra admitted she didn't know how to play and decided she was up for taking a shot. "That makes two of us," Rose said with her wide, enthusiastic smile.

**Ferus arrived to Volik,** sensing a dark presence as he landed and the more he traveled inland, the stronger it got. He had a feeling that this was a sign that Triclops was going to be somewhere in this direction and he was bittersweet about that. After all, he had been following the man for years and had even made sure to keep a vigilance on him when he was imprisoned on Kessel. Now, he was seeing the end of the road and he wasn't sure if he was liking it especially since he had always had help before.

There was no way anyone was going to be coming to his rescue in this part of the galaxy, should the duel turn against him. Arriving as close to the wreckage as his ship would allow, he decided it was best to just leave it where it was and steal Triclops' if criminals stole his. _Might be fitting, especially if I plan on going to Dromund Kaas to end the little empire Triclops seems to be building. But then again, that would make me no better than him_ Ferus thought.

"Clever boy to think ill of stealing my ship," Triclops interjected. "You've been reading my thoughts again?" Ferus asked. "It will be the last time that I will be able to do so. Besides, I have been keeping track of the kind of thoughts you've had for years, even when you were with Ederlaath.

"Speaking of which, it was rather fascinating to watch you grovel and moan when you thought her dead," Triclops mocked. "What the hell are you talking about!? You threw her from a four-hundred and fifty-two standard foot tall building!" Ferus demanded. "That was to make you think I had killed her but in all actuality, I controlled the air currents that her fall was survivable.

"I had her body salvaged after she made her fall then placed in cryogenesis until such time as I was ready to make use of her. Indeed, I had been skeptical of the idea even after I had made sure to crush the resistance you two led against me and made sure to break you. However, I assure you that such prolonged preservation hasn't come without its price: her mind is wiped clean of any memory. She does not know anything now except what I tell her and that includes a new name: Hemera.

"So now the cat's out of the bag as they say as to why I was so interested in bringing down my own cousin even if it came at the pestilent price of you constantly pursuing revenge against me. Admittedly, I found being a thorn in my son's side more interesting than having you being a thorn in mine but your pursuits have had their moments. The duel on Manaan was actually quite the clever setup, if you had intended to wait until I was weakened to strike," Triclops explained. As he recovered from the shock of what he heard, Ferus admitted that his method of attack on Manaan hadn't been intentional.

"Such a pity, I wonder what Ederlaath-excuse me, Hemera is her name now-would think of you now? She would probably be reeling with grief at the fact that you have chosen to take the path of vengeance despite your oath as a Jedi," Triclops replied. "It's not revenge, it's justice!" Ferus snapped. "It is interesting how often those words coincide, justice and revenge...

"There is little difference between them you know, at least for the criminal receiving either one. Revenge, however, does usually tend to be a little sloppier whereas justice allows you the liberty of a trial and a jury of your peers in most societies. Since Jedi are enforcers of justice, it is fair to say that they only enforce the cleaner version of revenge," Triclops countered. "Then come see the difference for yourself at my blade!" Ferus commanded.

At that point, he ignited his lightsaber and pointed the dark blue blade in Triclops' direction as a challenge to him. "Finally, Ferus Olin has succumbed to his inner Sith and now he shall pay the consequence for it," Triclops said as he ignited his own blood-red blade. "Enough talk, old man! Fight me!" Ferus ordered.

"My thoughts exactly," Triclops he leapt from his aerial platform and the duel began.

**A/N: Hey guys, something I though I'd let you know though I admit I should have done this when I published the first bit of this story. I did want to take a hiatus from writing but I've also been busy with my job and my main laptop's operating system completely crashed down so I had a new one installed in my old one by my father as a test run. Thanks for your patience and I will make sure to get more for this story out to you as soon as possible! :)**


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

As was typically the case with Triclops, he started out with an overhead slash from Ataru before continuing the duel with spins and twirls characteristic of Makashi. He combined this with the acrobatic cartwheels and somersaults of Ataru as well as the rage of Juyo. It was the perfect blend of three of the seven forms (four, including the strength and power of Djem So) that Ferus could never keep up with. He did his best to use his Soresu skills to fend off most of it but he did sometimes have to backflip away from Triclops, in order to avoid being sliced to pieces.

Even so, it proved difficult to keep his lightsaber strikes at bay and dodge those Force powers like Force Destruction that couldn't be reflected with a lightsaber. Granted, he had heard of Force Destruction's energy being absorbed in Tutaminis then reflected but he couldn't do that like Leia could. So when Triclops sent out the waves of Force Destruction, it was all he could do to simply dodge the waves and hope for an opening in Triclops' defenses. However, it was as though Triclops had taken each move Ferus ever made, analyzed it as much as he could, and formulated the perfect counter.

Whenever Ferus dodged one of his more powerful Force applications, Triclops was ready with his lightsaber to try and cut down the rogue Jedi in a heartbeat. This was especially true of when Ferus had been twice disarmed during the course of the entire affair and Triclops toyed with him. "What's the matter, Triclops? Afraid I'll somehow miraculously beat you!?" Ferus mocked.

"You have had one draw and fourteen losses in our entire time facing each other and the draw only came to be because I was already weakened by the conduction of an ancient Dark Side ritual. Until recently, you have been consistent in getting your ass kicked so why would I be afraid of you now?" Triclops replied. Ferus nearly snapped right there, knowing full well that Triclops had just deflected his attempt at Dun möch and sent a taunt right back at him, as if to humiliate him further. "Pride goeth before the fall of even the most powerful, Triclops!" Ferus warned.

"And you are _far_ from the most powerful, you are far from being capable even of getting us into a draw without some kind of big circumstance being in your favor. My own son is an example of someone who is actually capable of real power, he just chooses not to grasp his full potential. He chooses to live as a Jedi and distance himself from the legacy that surrounds him," Triclops replied. Ferus knew that Triclops was right: Ken was the Order's Swordmaster for a reason that Ferus had the rare privilege of observing for himself.

Several years ago, Ken had been in pursuit of Triclops as Ferus had been until now and one day, Ferus crossed paths with him. Feeling that Ken was hindering him in the process of doing justice for Ederlaath, he engaged the Swordmaster in combat. Ken sounded defeated, literally with one hand behind his back, before sparing him and keeping up the pursuit he had originally been conducting. Ferus respected Ken for his ability but respected him even more for the kind of character he showed.

However, he couldn't say he respected the man's father even if both had tremendous skill with a lightsaber and even greater skill in the Force. "Even in my father's day, our family and the Sith had both evolved past the need for lightsabers yet we still carried them. Why is that, might you ask? Simple, humiliating little Jedi brats like you in your own art is always amusing," Triclops mocked.

"Jedi brats you say? Your father's first apprentice, Darth Maul, lost to a kriffing Jedi Padawan on Naboo!" Ferus snapped. "A simple matter of the pleasure of combat getting to his head and boosting his ego, too greatly for his own good. Yes, pride goeth before the fall of the most powerful but even someone as simple as you can fall too deeply to rise again.

"Allow me the chance to show you Ederlaath's final moments through my eyes. I am sure you'll like it," Triclops said. Then he used Telekinesis to pull Ferus toward him and grabbed his head when the younger man was within reach. After that, Triclops imprinted the information into Ferus' head and watched as he struggled to make out the memories that shaped Ederlaath's final moments.

But Ferus saw it all, how she bravely attacked Triclops with naught but her darksaber and some skill in Shii-Cho saber combat while he was forced to retreat thanks to waves of stormtroopers. "A pity,my niece: you are the same pitiful savage that you have always been. Your skills still remain unrefined, amateurish, sloppy, unworthy of a Palpatine. But not beneath a Pallopides, I imagine," Triclops had mocked.

Ederlaath had tried her best to fight back after that but he led her right to where he wanted her: on the roof of his own personal estate's tallest tower. From there, it was only a matter of luring her to the edge and throwing her over which he did with relative ease. Since the tower had a triangular roof, both duelists slid down its surface until they found a balcony to properly stand on. But while Triclops had perfect balance, Ederlaath was struggling to keep her footing on the rail they both stood on.

For Triclops, it was just a simple slash empty air (though in proximity to her face) before he saw her taking a couple hundred meter tumble down the tower and towards a pool below. However, something that Ferus hadn't seen until now, was that Triclops began conducting aerokinesis at that point. So strong was his control of the air currents that he managed to make sure that she stood a chance of surviving even if it wasn't a very good one. He even had salvage teams on standby to make sure that she was picked up when she completed her fall and immediately place her in cryo sleep.

"But why!?" he shouted when the visions passed. "Simple: I needed an expendable test subject and knowing my father, he wouldn't care what happened to her as long as she wasn't a threat. Naturally, I had to work in eliminating you from the equation (at least, temporarily) and the rest of your little resistance from there but that wasn't difficult. Anticipating your survival from all that I put you through, however, was an interesting challenge and has led to some entertaining duels," Triclops said.

"But at some point, play time's gotta end, right?" Ferus asked. "You always were quick to know the cues of my little game. Yes, playtime must come to an end and the mask of Darth Nihilus will be mine," Triclops promised. It was at this point that Ferus decided to introduce a new factor into the equation of their duel, one that had never been introduced before.

He had recovered Mace Windu's lightsaber from deep within the bowels of Coruscant's junk disposal system and had held onto it as a last resort. Now, he activated it and began using it in conjunction with his own lightsaber, unleashing a wild display of Jar'Kai that admittedly threw Triclops off. "A new trick that you have never introduced before, a pity that it is ultimately futile," Triclops said as he took the time to only defend and learn how Ferus conducted Jar'Kai. It only took a couple minutes to get the gist of Ferus' technique before a combo of Makashi, Juyo, and Djem So slammed through it.

At one point, Ferus even did an overhead slash with both blades and Triclops parried it with a one handed horizontal, countering by twisting the blade underneath Ferus' and slicing the hilts in half. After that, it was only a matter of using the Force to toss Ferus around like a rag doll while deactivating his own lightsaber and recalling it to his belt. First, he used telekinesis to slam Ferus onto the durasteel floor of the ship, then into a wall before bringing him back before his feet. "Are you going to kill me already?" Ferus asked.

"Yes but I am going to enjoy your suffering for a little while longer. Once you're dead, I won't be able to do so again, after all," Triclops replied. Then he unleashed barrage after barrage of Force Lightning, an act that seemed to trigger something in Triclops like an ability to sense something. "The presence of the Mask calls to me through every little burst of Dark Side energy I release.

"Soon, I will know where it is and how to use its power. I will plunge the cosmos into chaos and then rebuild them in my image. But please know that such destruction is not the first thing in my plans: I have known what you call home and the people you call family for years. Whether or not I find the mask here, I will pay them a visit when this is over and you will not be distanced from them for long," Triclops promised.

"You put on finger on any of them..." Ferus began. "Oh please, few have ever learned how to transcend death and I strongly doubt you are amongst them. You are in no position to threaten me, boy," Triclops interrupted. Then he used the Force to slowly squash Ferus into the durasteel wall behind him as a form of torture that he had used on many Imperial criminals.

"Sometimes, I do wonder why I didn't dispose of you sooner but then I realized that I needed someone I could step on whenever my son messed with my fun. He may be more powerful than I am but he cannot be everywhere at once but you slip through the cracks, don't you? Funny how that doesn't work to your advantage this time or any other time except to humble you," Triclops said, continuing to mock Ferus as he pinned him down. Ferus looked like he was struggling to speak, blood gushing out of his mouth as he did so and Triclops leaned in close.

"A little louder, sunshine: I think you may already have a collapsed lung and boy does that impair the oratory," Triclops replied when he was close. However, instead of obeying, Ferus spat some blood unto the mutant's cheek but Triclops was emotionally indifferent to it. "Now that wasn't very polite, at least your seniors in the Old Order had manners. I am almost tempted to teach you a lesson so that you can better emulate them but I think not.

"I think I'd rather keep using the Force to beat you and torture you until I no longer enjoy this. Seems more reasonable to me," Triclops said. Ferus said nor did anything in response although Triclops could sense his growing distress about the situation before him. It was then that Triclops decided to take two sharp pieces of durasteel and sent them through Ferus' wrists.

Ferus gave no auditory reply but his mouth moved in the fashion to indicate cries of agony that would have been given if his vocal cords had not been damaged by the Force Crush spell. "Good, I sense your pain, your agony. Suffer and it will allow me the means to finally obtain the mask of Darth Nihilus for _my_ vision of what the galaxy should be," Triclops stated, thinking aloud. At that moment, however, a dark presence swept over a pile of crates next to Triclops and he suspected the mask was there.

Using telekinesis to knock them aside, he saw no mask but he did see a clue that would help him find it. It was a white pearl-like orb that Triclops recognized as having been formed from a shaving of the mask's ivory portion, likely having been just between the eyes before its creation. Upon touching it, he was shown the face of a woman that he did not know but suspected was an integral part of how the mask could be found. Her hair whitened from years of life, her chin and cheekbones indicated the mark of a Mandalorian woman, and her eyes showed authority.

_I suspect I know who this is, I'll just have to recollect from my youthful adventures at another time_ he thought silently. "I have not found what I am looking for but I am close now, Ferus Olin. So close to achieving my goal of obtaining the mask and reshaping the cosmos under my rule. I think I will hurry and leave you to dehydrate, starve, and/or choke on your blood while I go take my rightful place in the universe," he stated, before heading for the entrance they had used.

Without regard to what Ferus would say or do, Triclops marched off to leave his defeated opponent in his state of pain though not before assuring him his family reunion would come quick. "Gutless... worm..." he faintly heard Ferus say. "Come again?" Triclops asked.

"You think... you're anything significant? Next to your son... and father... you're just a joke... an oaf!" Ferus hissed over choking on his blood. Triclops was almost tempted to give into his rage and impale Ferus with his lightsaber to end his life quickly. However, he merely clenched his fist with the tightness that his physical strength granted him and took a deep breath.

"A shame you compare me to my father and my son in such a fashion. Had you said nothing, I would have made only your death slow. Now, I will have to bring upon the full scale of my ability to torture unto your family. You can now die slowly and with the knowledge that it will be a little bit before your family reunites with you in the oblivion of death," Triclops promised.

_Never incur the wrath of a god if you aren't prepared to deal with the consequences, boy. You are but an ant beneath my boot and now, I must squash you_ Triclops thought. At that thought, he closed up the entrance to their little arena with a piece of the freighter great enough to cover it. "Goodbye, Ferus Olin: let this world be your grave and a reminder to all Jedi that the Dark Side remains supreme here!" he exclaimed.

Then he made his way back to his ship and killed any pirates that got in his way along the road back. His next destination would be indeed to Dromund Kaas to check on the progress of his empire but after that, he'd go straight for Ferus' place of residence and finish what he started. He would have to think carefully as to the kind of fate he would deliver upon them, however. There were so many ways that a Human could die slowly, slowly enough for him to enjoy it.

_Maybe I'll kill the children (the eldest named Damian and the baby named Dante) and prevent the wife (Talia, be her name) from killing herself for several weeks. Then, when I have practically finished having fun, I'll force myself on her in order to really finish her. No, I'd have far too much trouble in the effort it'd take not to laugh at her pain_ he thought. He mused over what fate he would devise for her and when he finally thought of one, he had to admit it was a goodie.

**Cassandra and Rose didn't** need any preparation when they were finally alerted to a rebel uprising. All they needed was the approval to go into the attack and end the resistance before it got any more momentum. Cassandra leapt into the field of combat first, taking out the nearest rebels with the swooping arcs and slashes of Vaapad while Rose followed with the much calmer Niman. It was after Cassandra brought down about eleven rebels with Rose incapacitating four more that they retreated.

"The Jedi are onto us, quick! Retreat before they take anymore lives!" said a squad leader in the battalion that had come to attack. Cassandra raised a single eyebrow in suspicion while Rose simply shrugged, admitting she was just as confused as Cassandra was. M_aybe they're trying to keep casualties down to a low and hate the idea of engaging Jedi_ Rose telepathically suggested.

Cassandra kept her eyebrow up and even asked her friend why the hell that would be the case. "That's something we'll have to take up with our porker friend when we get back to our temporary residence," Rose told her. "Hm, seems too easy... there's something amiss here, something deeper than what he's telling us," Cassandra said. "I sense it too and it feels... familiar, like someone we knew back at the Academy or fought before with our Masters," Rose agreed.

"Let's take the captives you wrung up back to his Palace and see if we can make one of them quack. Preferably, through peaceful means," Cassandra offered. "I'll talk!" said one. "Later, we gotta get you guys away from here; don't want snipers making croak prematurely," Rosa said.

Using the Force in unison, Cassandra and Rose transported their captives via telekinesis and brought them to the palace from which they had jumped out a three-story window for the fight. When their host saw what they had done, he demanded to know just what the ladies were intending to do with their captives. "We will _attempt_ to interrogate them through more diplomatic means unless the Rodian we have hasn't changed his mind about quacking," Cassandra said. "I swear, I'll talk if you'll just get me a transport off this rock!" the Rodian begged.

"You got a deal and your friends have a deal too if they want out and are willing to share their input," Rose said. All three of his Human friends nodded, likely afraid of just what the Jedi could do after being levitated into the air with telekinesis and bearing witness to their saber skills. Taking them to a holding cell, the Jedi threw them in and the interrogation began. "So who wants to go first?" Cassandra asked.

"I will, I'm the youngest and I've not had much interest in the alliance anyway," said a teenage Human. _I thought the resistance was made up of all the old farts here_ Cassandra thought. _But remember that our pal did mention they were trying to recruit young blood: this could be a sign of some success_ Rose interjected through telepathy. _Good point_ Cassandra admitted.

"Go ahead," Cassandra said aloud. "In my pocket is a datapad with the layouts of all their bases and how to get to them. You can get to the resistance either by using this to destroy them outright or to infiltrate them and destroy them from within," the young Human said. As he spoke, he procured a datapad whose controls he used to show them what he spoke of.

"Why would they trust you with such information? Are you not a new recruit to their cause or is there something else at work?" Rose asked. "Because I'm one of the leaders' grandson, that's why. My Mom and Dad died during the last part of the Imperial Civil War and my Grandpa took me in as a baby so when I agreed to join his rebellion, he gave me everything," the man answered.

_Which plays right into our hands_ Cassandra observed silently. "How many more are there in the resistance?" she inquired aloud. "Not even three thousand, our casualty rate against the government in past battles was bad enough without you stepping in to help them shed more blood. We went from having over forty thousand recruits to our present numbers in months as a result of the death toll and people quitting on us," he replied.

_Which may explain why they retreated so suddenly. A perfectly valid and logical reason, if what he says is true_ Rose suggested through telepathy. "Do you or any of your friends have any other tidbits of knowledge that might help us?" Cassandra continued, fascinated by these people. "Yeah, keep an eye on your fatass host: ever since that Jarvishquiine guy with the saberstaff came, he's never been the same," said one of the others.

_Saberstaff? Jarvishquiine? How the hell do you get a dude from the Jarvishquiine who uses any kind of lightsaber?_ Cassandra asked herself quietly. _Unless it's a bodyguard they've sent: most of those guys do possess lightsabers and the skill to use them_ Rose offered.

"Thank you, anything else?" Cassandra asked aloud. "Yeah, can we get our transport out of here now?" asked the Rodian. "Sure, perhaps you guys would like three meals of fine cuisine along the way back while you're here in the request department," Cassandra joked. "I'm serious!" the Rodian exclaimed.

"No need to make a fuss: yes, you can have your transport now. Go tell the porker that my we said we authorized it," Cassandra said. Rose used the Force to deactivate the ray shield that held them all in and allowed the men to leave them. "What do you think?" Rose asked when they were alone. "That I may have a trail for us to follow if I'm given a few moments to muse over what they've given us and that you have my approval to run this datapad by our host as well.

"Don't worry about me, I'll have something figured out by the time you meet me in our room," Cassandra replied. Rose took the datapad when Cassandra offered it to her and nodded, wishing her the best in her thinking. Cassandra thanked her and when she sensed her friend was gone, she began her own walk back to their room. Carefully, Cassandra thought deep as to every possible scenario that could explain the presence of a warrior from the Jarvishquiine.

She even decided to take the elevator back to their room to think it over, she wanted that much concentration. But as she thought it over, only one scenario showed itself again and again...


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

Achilles and Hemera were slightly disappointed to find that Triclops hadn't found what he was looking for, even though he had a lead as to where to go. "But first, I need to deliver my promise to Ferus Olin before I go anywhere else. And I have devised the most creative of ways to do that," he added. "What would that be, milord?" Hemera asked.

"I will tell you both about it when I return from exacting the last of my revenge and find a location for the woman seen in my lead," Triclops answered. "Then I suppose you'll want your ship to remain ready for travel, yes?" Achilles asked. Triclops nodded and asked that his ship be prepared for travel to the tropical moon that orbited Manaan. "With due respect, milord, you caused quite the commotion when you last went to Manaan: is it wise to return so soon?" Achilles inquired.

"Under normal circumstances, I would be in agreement with you. However, this cannot be stopped any longer than it has to be and I will return immediately after," he assured them calmly. After that, he shouted to his pilot that they were to travel to Little Manaan, Manaan's only habitable moon. When he was further away from them, in fact when he was out of sight which required him being several meters away, Achilles and Hemera kept speaking.

"Do you really think it's wise to let him run his empire with that obsession ever present?" Achilles asked. "Do we have a choice but to obey him until an opening in his defense allows us to take him down?" Hemera countered. "True but we'll need to watch him carefully: he may have created us but he's treading a dangerous road if he keeps this up for too long," Achilles admitted. "What you're proposing could be treasonous: we'd have to make absolutely sure we could take him down before even thinking to strike," Hemera warned.

"It is in the nature of the Sith to be prepared for treason, he'll be prepared for us to strike out at any moment but we will wait until he drops his guard. Granted, there will be only a few instances when he will but we have to be patient, anyhow," Achilles agreed. "Just make sure he doesn't gain the advantage via telepathy and finds out our intentions," Hemera said. "If I know myself as well as I think I do, then I've inherited Grievous' resistance to even his telepathy.

"It's almost no wonder why the Jedi were unable to locate him without their technologies since not even their most powerful telepaths could find him," Achilles assured her. "Resistance to telepathy? Were the Kaleesh really that thick-headed?" Hemera asked rhetorically. "Watch it, your skills don't need to be tested with me just because I lost my patience," Achilles replied.

"Good point, for now, we operate as though nothing's wrong and when the time is right, we eliminate him and take this empire for ourselves," Hemera said. "Agreed," Achilles acknowledged. It was at that point that Triclops came back in and told them he was off to his next destination to deliver the final stage of his vengeance. "May the Force be with you," said the two assassins in simultaneity.

**Ferus was still alive** even with all Triclops had made him endure though for how much longer, he didn't know. Sure he could use his healing ability to overcome the worst injuries but he would then have to worry about recovering from the toll that power took. That would be weeks, with proper nourishment and medication but here, it'd likely be months. Months that he wouldn't have before he became a rotting, festering corpse that had starved and dehydrated to death.

There was only one way out of this and it was going to be a very risky one: he was going to have to go into a Trance and hibernate. By the time he'd finally awaken, his family would likely have been long since killed but it was additional cause to bury the son of Palpatine forever. I_ will see you three again, one day and in another time_ he promised silently. That was when he began hearing the beeps, beeps that reminded him of the timer on a bomb.

"Clever bastard," Ferus said. At that point, a comlink (likely timed to do so) activated and projected a prerecorded message that Triclops had entered. "Ferus Olin, for years I have analyzed your tactics, examined your reckless ways, and came to an accurate conclusion of your psyche. You don't fear being severely wounded because you have a natural ability to heal yourself from even the worst that a Human body can take, usually," the recording began.

_Spot on, asshole_ Ferus thought. "As such, I am taking no chances in you escaping alive and have hidden a bomb powerful enough to destroy half this freighter and set the timer. The bomb should detonate within the next fourteen seconds, by the time you get this recording. However, if you think you can stop it, please know that you're pinned directly in front of it.

"I have taken no chances with you going into a trance and surprising me a few months later, even if you would be several months too late to save your family. If you think you can stop the bomb, by all means. Otherwise, I wish I could say it was nice knowing you," Triclops' hologram stated. Ferus used the Force to rip the sharp pieces of durasteel out of his wrists and used all his remaining physical strength to pull himself away and around to face the bomb.

Triclops hadn't been bluffing: it was a thermal time bomb connected to one of the fuel lines in this freighter, the ancient nature of the concoction likely resulting in increased flammability. Eons of instability would help cause the kind of destruction that Triclops was talking about and when he said Ferus didn't have much time, he wasn't lying. The bomb had just ticked to six seconds when he finally saw it and he knew there was no sense trying to disarm it now. Instead, he just simply waited for it to tick down to 0 seconds remaining and then detonate.

His death came quickly since the explosion opened a fuel pipe and the fire ignited whatever fuel was within. The ensuing inferno that came was one that indeed took down half the ship and the fire even began expanding into the nearby grasslands, alerting pirates to what had happened. But by the time they subdued the fire and had a chance to see what happened, all that was left of the great Ferus Olin was a burnt husk, skin blackened by the fire, and blood boiled by the heat. However, that didn't stop the pirates from firing a couple shots into his chest to be sure that he was dead.

**Triclops arrived to the** Olin family residence within a couple days of setting out from Dromund Kaas and had to admit the visions granted by his telepathy reading hadn't deceived him. Not only was Ferus living in the jungle but he was also living in a house so shoddy as to not even stand out. However, he soon changed all that when he used telekinesis to levitate a stick strong enough to leave an audible tap on the door when used to knock. When he sensed Ferus' wife Talia closing in on the door, he conducted a Force Push that sent the door flying on top of her.

The result was an impact powerful enough to knock her cold even as the door flew into what appeared to be their living room while he entered what remained of the doorway. At that point, the elder boy named Damian pointed a small vibroblade at Triclops, ready for combat. "Like father, like son," Triclops said before using Force Choke to break his neck and kill him in seconds. During all this, the baby wailed at the top of his lungs and Triclops had to admit that he was glad he never had to worry about caring for Ken once he was about a month old or so.

However, even killing the baby was simple enough: he just ignited his lightsaber and slashed across to decapitate the helpless child in one swift stroke before deactivating his blade. Smiling, he had to admit that he had been a little sloppy in his entry but otherwise his initial onslaught wasn't very bad. Levitating Damian into the air and bringing him close, Triclops placed him on the table before opening all the kitchen cabinets to find seasonings. Once he did that, he used his lightsaber to cut into the boy's skin and then produced a kitchen knife to get at his organs.

First, he cut out the boy's heart before then following up with the liver, lungs, kidneys and even his small intestine though this took longer than the others. After that, he readied a fire and began slicing all the organs into sizable chunks to cook in a pan. It was then that he decided that the baby should not go to waste either and decided to use his organs as an appealing appetizer. After repeating the process of dismembering his organs, Triclops placed both their bodies where they couldn't be seen.

He also gathered vegetables that would decorate the plates he served up and when it came time for the appetizer to be served, he placed Talia (Ferus' wife) at the center of the table. Then he brought forth the appetizer with telekinesis and placed it in front of her as he sensed her coming to. "Alas, the beauteous wife of Ferus Olin awakens," he said. As she recovered her senses, she asked him how he knew her husband.

"We're old associates, I'm several years his senior but I do remember him from when he was a Youngling under the Old Jedi Order. I have been with him throughout all the events of his life and I have been aware of his marriage to you for a while," Triclops said, speaking half-truths. He was indeed old enough to have remembered Ferus when he was a Youngling were he a former member of the Old Jedi Order but he hadn't been there to see Ferus being trained as a Jedi. Additionally, he had not followed him throughout his life but had only become interested in him, a couple decades ago.

"What's this food you've made?," she asked, curious as to what was before her. "It's a special delicacy of Gamorrean pork that is usually only served to royalty but you had the materials for me to make it right here in your home. Enjoy a rare treat while it's still fresh and hot: the main course will be ready shortly and don't worry, this wasn't made from a Gamorrean," he promised.

She dined in without question, unknowingly gorging herself on the cooked organs of her youngest son. _The fool and the taste will sell the deception even better now_ Triclops thought as he watched her stuff her face with her child's organs. He suspected that she had been taught to eat after being unconscious for a long while (nearly a standard hour from his watch) and taught well. "This is so delicious, how did you learn to make it?" she inquired.

"I used to entertain some powerful guests in the Emperor's Embassy whilst laying low in the Great Jedi Purge. This was amongst the favored recipes and it was a simple one to make: I even learned ways to reduce the time for quality preparation in half, just for them," he explained. Another half-truth: he did have to entertain guests in the Embassy but he did so as the Emperor's son and heir, a Prince who indulged the gluttony of his subjects as a means of controlling them. Smiling, he checked on the main course (the one made of Damian's organs) and was pleased to see that Talia was almost done _and_ eager for more.

"That is the purpose of an appetizer, is it not? To stimulate the hunger within you for the main course?" he asked rhetorically. "No kidding," she answered. Then he used telekinesis to bring out the main course and watched as she relished it.

"Savor each taste, enjoy the flavor as each bites is brought to your mouth. A piece of advice I always gave the nobles of the Embassy," he told her. And despite keeping it nice and warm as the result of a short timespan, she did just that. Before finishing it, she asked him if he wanted a sample with her logic being that it was his handiwork and that he deserved a try.

_I confess it has been a long time since I have eaten the cooked flesh of any of my victims. Why not?_ Triclops thought quietly. "Actually, I think I would love a sample, see what you like about my work," he said aloud. She cut one up for him and passed it along for him to try: he didn't know if it was due to his years of eating sub-standard meals or not but the taste was divine.

"Eloquent as I remembered it being when I last had it, so many years ago," he said. It was the only thing he had said all day that wasn't a half-truth or a falsity. So moving was the taste that he almost didn't want to reveal where it had come from. "What did you make it from?" she asked, as if reading his mind.

"It's a shame you ask that where I made it from when the better question should be why your sons haven't been here to enjoy it," he replied. Talia paled, remembering that her sons had been with her before she was knocked out yet were nowhere to be seen now. "Damian?! Get out here and bring Dante with you, if you have him now!" she begged.

Chuckling, Triclops told her that they weren't even alive anymore. "I deceived when I said I was a Jedi associate of Ferus': I am actually his nemesis, Crown Prince Triclops of the Empire. Indeed I have known about you and your family for these last few years and I have been waiting for the perfect time to strike back at you three but you can guess what else was true from there. Come now, dear, take a shot," he mocked.

"What did you do with my boys?!" she screamed. "Come, come, that's no way to treat a royal who has treated you to a fine cuisine of his family's. But if you must insist, don't worry: they're close by," he said, poking her stomach after he spoke. "You mean...?" she began.

"Yes, as part of my vengeance against insults that Ferus paid me, I've killed your sons and used their organs as the meat for that fine meal you ate. Please be assured, you're not the first woman who's had her children fed to her by my good grace. I once cooked hundreds for the staff of an Imperial hospital, their families, and patients as well. It's a shame that I killed him first, otherwise I would have recorded this entire thing if only to see him suffer.

"Watch your misery destroy him, watch his rage corrupt his heart and see his grief drive him mad. Oh, there are so many ways I've could have had m fun destroying you four but I think this shall be satisfactory. So tell me, Mrs. Olin, how do you choose to die now that you know the truth?" he told her. As he spoke, he noticed her sliding her hand across to her knife as though he couldn't see her doing and when he finished, he waited to hear what she had to say.

"You really want to know how I want to die? I want to die _fighting_!" she said just before bringing up the knife and pointing the blade in a stabbing direction. However, having seen it long before she could use it, he merely grabbed her arm and used Force-augmented strength to make her drop it. "If it were that easy to defeat a Sith, your husband would have long since killed me," he mocked.

Nonetheless, he acquired a nearby rope and tied her to a wheelchair that likely had been used when Ferus broke his legs in one of his earlier fights with Triclops. Then he decided it was time to bring her to the highest levels and begin the final stage of his vengeance. After arriving to a balcony overlooking the rest of the house, he noticed that the rail was made of rather new marble. This would be more than strong enough for the next part in his ultimate path to revenge and enough to make him grin.

Wrapping one end of the rope into a very strong knot, he took the other and formed a lasso that he put around Talia's neck, tightening it to ensure that there was no escape for the woman. "Now one question: bowels in or bowels out? I'm eager to know since I recall your maiden name being Tiberius and you have a grandfather that was also hanged but with his bowels out," he asked, taking a small meathook he had found earlier as he spoke. Talia looked at him with fright, confirming what had happened to her grandfather during a mass-killing Triclops conducted.

"The only one who'd know who my grandfather was..." Talia began. "Yes, I killed your grandfather when he became a nuisance to me and my father with his protests. Naturally, we couldn't have that and I personally dispatched him. But I guess that mention warrants a decision being made: bowels out it is," he said before cutting into her with the meathook.

Then he used telekinesis to raise the wheelchair she was tied to onto the rail before then destroying the bigger wheels, sending her to her downfall as a result. In turn, the rest of the wheelchair shattered while her hands remained tied around her back as she fell. When the rope reached the limit of its small length, the sudden stop came and silenced her loud screaming quickly. However, the momentum of her stop caused her bowels to fall out and most of her small intestine littered the ground beneath her feet.

As Triclops looked over the rail to see his handiwork, he scoffed slightly and thought glumly to himself. "The women of her family seem to be the worse screamers than the men are. Like a high-pitched siren compared to her grandfather," he thought aloud as he rubbed his ear. With his work completed, however, Triclops saw no reason to stay around even if he had to step over the intestines.

From below her feet, he examined his handiwork and only regretted that it wasn't a neater kill. "I won't repeat that mistake with those Ken loves, that much is true," he vowed aloud. After that, he turned his back on the Olin residence and continued his march away from the place. _Now, to continue with my seemingly eternal search for the mask of Nihilus_ he thought silently.

**Edward Chun had to** admit he was a little pleased to hear that the Jedi had arrived to Christophsis but at the same time, he wasn't all that happy about who they captured. "You imbecile, if you had not given your grandson the datapad, this wouldn't have happened! Your love for him and your overall incompetence has led this resistance to its doom," he shouted. "I had no way of knowing he wanted out!" begged the old human man before him.

"If I remember correctly, he had protested his desire to be out of the rebellion on many a moon only for you to stamp him out. Your arrogance embarrasses what this resistance stands for and shames you," Edward replied. Then he whipped out a standard-designed blaster pistol and shot the old man right between his eyes. Since leaving the Order, he had decided that he would save his saber skills for warriors like the Jedi and kill anyone else with a pistol.

He even had a collapsible chain gun and a portable triple-barreled grenade launcher for situations that involved mass killing. His saberstaff and pistol were for more close-ranged situations such as a duel with Jedi. True the Jarvishquiine looked down on him for it but he didn't care. All he was interested in was revenge against the Jedi that had caused him and his family great shame. It was true that he would now never be able to remove the taint that Count Dooku gave the name during the Clone Wars but Edward could prevent his own streak from forming, at least.

_I think I'll start with using the chain gun for dispatching the government soldiers nearest to me first before then using the grenade launcher to take out their nearest walkers. I'll switch between them until I run out of ammo then retreat to use my pistol on incoming reinforcements. Then, when the Jedi have finally arrived, I will strike with my saberstaff as a last resort only_ he thought, carefully analyzing the situation. It was true that he was still out of shape even though he was no longer weighed down by the fat that Cassandra had once mocked him for.

However, he traded good shape for having a sharp, tactical mind that helped him plan for these kinds of situations. Would Cassandra outsmart him and still have a good dueling body or would she just be a muscle-bound ox like the last few Jedi Luke had sent after him, however? This was the kind of question he had to ask of himself since she was unusual even for a Jedi Knight. In Edward's mind, there were three kinds of Jedi: the ones who traded brain for muscle were the first.

The next one was the kind of Jedi who traded a good fighting body for a mind as sharp as their blade. These two were both the types that Edward had already fought and killed but then there was the third kind: the ones who were strong and had a cunning mind. Last time they fought, Cassandra had struck him as being this third type and he wasn't eager to underestimate her again. "What do we do now, Master Chun?" asked another rebel leader who had seen everything happen. "Prepare for battle, the Jedi will be coming and when they do, they'll have buddies," Edward said.


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

Rose and Cassandra looked over the data that had been given after Cassandra gathered a rough idea of what they could be in for. "Seems like a rather elementary setting were it not for the fact they have the rougher terrain to protect them. Then again, they must realize they don't need more than that so long as they remain undiscovered in the mountains," Rose observed. "What about when they're discovered as they must realize they have been by now?" Cassandra asked.

"They'll likely realize that setting up anything more elaborate at this point would be just a sloppy effort and would likely be more harm than good. Might even be what we would have needed to make them truly vulnerable and wiping them out even easier," Rose answered. "And if what I anticipate on the Edward Chun front is correct?" Cassandra inquired. "Let's work that out as it goes, last we heard, he went M.I.A. over the Jarvishquiine homeworld and his mentor died.

"If this is him or just an imposter posing as him is something we'd have to see for ourselves," Rose explained. _Perceptive, it's a wonder I didn't utilize her knowledge of social psychology sooner_ Cassandra thought silently. "And if it's the real deal, we'll wear him out by attacking only enough to force him to counter and go on a real offensive," she said aloud. "Sounds like a plan to me," Rose confessed.

"Magistrate, when will you forces be ready to move out?" Cassandra asked, looking to their host for the answer. "Whenever you're ready to guide them into battle, ladies. I have no physical capacity to fight or even reach the mountains without aid so it's up to you," he said. "Then I think we'll go before we allow them any more momentum to fight back or retreat deeper into the mountains," Cassandra said.

"Wise choice," the magistrate told them. Just then, a darkened presence came over them and the magistrate was soon brought into a Force Choke hold. Before he could be killed, however, Rose spotted the man behind it and used the Force to push him away from the room. "Rosie Fisto, still as quick to fight as ever," said the masculine voice behind the mask the warrior wore.

"Edward Chun, I imagine. You're still as sloppy in your use of Force power as ever," Cassandra mocked. "What do you mean? I fooled you both with Force Concealment," Edward asked as he placed a hand over his saberstaff.

"If you think you can fool me, you're an even bigger idiot than I thought. I could have ratted you out anytime but I decided to take a chance and see what you would do," she replied. "You're bluffing, there's no way you could have seen all that unless the Force granted you a vision!" he exclaimed. "Possible, but I doubt I'd need a vision to foresee your sloppy work: you think of a strategy that might have worked better before being placed under pressure.

"Then when the heat is on, you toss aside that strategy in favor of a more impulsive one. You likely originally thought to stay in the mountains and use that arsenal you got strapped around your body on the soldiers that the magistrate intended to release on your rebels before facing us. Then when the rebel leaders added heat unto you, you decided to come here with only your lightsaber and blaster pistol to face us; you're indeed the real deal as we feared," she explained. _Fine detective work, Cassandra_ Rose thought.

"Impressive work, Cassandra but it is all in vain. The Jarvishquiine made me a pact: betray my Master, lead him to his death, and they would give me the means to overcome you and Rose. Now, I exact my revenge for your embarrassing comments about my weight in our last duel (Cassandra) and let's just say it'll be even sweeter destroying your friend next," Edward vowed. "Okay, what did Rose ever do to you?" Cassandra demanded.

"He asked me out to a dance that his family was hosting. When I refused, I told him it was because I had a mission (which was, in fact, true) and that it would be for the better. He didn't take it very well," Rose explained. "Still the entitled and spoiled brat that you were when we last fought, you really haven't changed beyond losing the pot belly," Cassandra said.

Then she used telekinesis to rip off the mask (she explained it was so she could see the face of her opponent) and gazed upon a man with the scars of war across his face and icy blue eyes. However, she noted another change that she spoke of in the name of pissing him off. "And you've added a nice, thick bush on your lips? What, you weren't satisfied with the one you have between your legs?

"The surgeon behind the gruffness in your voice should have made it sound more like me and added boobs to the package. Why not? You've got the money to cover that, last I checked," she mocked. "I should congratulate you on thinking your mockery could still affect me but that'd like applauding an ant that walked under my boot before crushing it," he replied.

Then he ignited both blades of his saberstaff while Rose and Cassandra ignited their own. Cassandra decided to leap around Edward and force him to watch his back while Rose faced him directly. The two of them eventually forced him to retreat with the combined strength of Rose's agile spins, and twirls mixed with Cassandra's strong hacks, slashes, and jabs to their opponent. He surprised them both when he placed his activated blade over his back, bent down, and spun fast.

It allowed him enough time to move his blade to the side and swoop from underneath before positioning his body in such as to point a saber blade at Rose's upper thigh. Rose dodged this blow and fell back on her Makashi knowledge while Edward jabbed with the other end. The result was that Cassandra had to dodge his blow though she soon had to parry the other blade too. With a hand now free, Edward tried to offset Rose with a Force Push though she canceled this out with one of her own, the conflict giving him enough time to jump onto an escalator headed up.

Cassandra followed him up and even leapt over him to resume the duel with Rose making sure the only way he could escape wa by jumping over the rail. When the escalator brought them to the upper floor (after about seventeen feet of travel), Edward brought the duel to Cassandra. Spinning and twirling his saberstaff, he eventually surprised them both by turning off one blade and using the hilt as a means of extending the reach of the remaining blood-red lightsaber blade. Their fight eventually led them to a series of open-edge bridges that likely served as means for people to get to and fro without having to rely on escalators or elevators for ascent or descent.

At this point, Rose was struggling to keep up but Cassandra made sure this didn't cause her death by keeping the best Edward had to offer focused upon her. Then Edward tried to distract her by Force-Pushing Rose off the bridge when he kicked her close as a counter to an aerial slash. Cassandra used the Force to pull her friend back in before Edward try to sever her hand with one of his blades and igniting the other when she dodged the first attack. He even went as far as to try and slice her in two in a single twirl though she dodged and soon pinned him in front of her.

Before he could do anything else, she elbowed his chest then swiped the side of her hand across his face with a great enough impact to throw him over the bridge. Even though the blow was enough to give him a bloody nose, Edward soon recovered enough to right himself in he air. Landing on his feet, he was surprised to see that both the Jedi were immediately following him down with a renewed fury in their attacks when they landed. He deactivated one blade and continued to keep them back with his ferocious use of Djem So, surprising even Cassandra.

However, he was soon thrown of balance again when Cassandra managed to keep up a series of twirls that allowed her to walk around him (she had been behind before). At this point, he waited until she stopped to try and counter but she rolled away just as Rose leapt above her. Spinning her body at a diagonal angle, Edward knew what she meant to do and dashed out of the way before she could land her blow and caused her blade to merely hit the stone beneath them. Breathing laboriously, Edward realized he would need to retreat before he became too exhausted and the arrival of the Christophsis magistrate's security force only hastened that choice.

Withdrawing his lightsaber altogether, Edward whipped out his blaster pistol and started shooting at the guards before they could shoot him. He ran for an open balcony that he saw just ahead while the Jedi kept a steady distance behind him. Right when the Jedi were about to catch up to him, he reached it and dived over its edge just as a transport was about to exit from a hangar. Cassandra and Rose were caught off guard by the heat of the engine when it rose up in front of them but this was only for a few seconds or so.

Just when he thought he was safe, Cassandra decided to keep up a chase, borrowing Rose's saber alongside her own and augmenting her Force Leap with a Push from the Nautolan. She raised her sabers out in front of her and would have sliced Edward into three vertical pieces if he hadn't raised his saberstaff to intercept her blades. Then he tried to slice her in half though she jumped back over him, using a rail on the ship to help her do that. He swung his saberstaff back around in an attempt to kill her but she dodged, a process she repeated after that.

When he brought his saberstaff down in an attempt to use the hilt to hit her in the head, she used her own sabers to pin his weapon. Then she kneed him hard enough to make him back up a little before positioning her blades in such a fashion as to conduct a scooping jab with them. Launching herself into the air as she did it, she spun her body in several circles before using the Force to pull herself around him whilst still rotating in circles. Finally, Edward tried to counter by slicing her in half but she arched her back greatly enough to place her blades in front.

Then she raised her lightsabers over her head, swiping her own blade right at Edward's face though he deflected this with a blade on his saberstaff. Cassandra decided to surprise him by using Rose's cyan blade to cut at Edward's foot. However, Edward used the Force to augment a backward Force Leap, placing himself on top of one of the engines when he landed. Deciding enough was enough, Edward plunged a blade into the engine beneath his feet and cut into it.

The result was an explosive malfunction on one engine and a leak on the other while the one Edward stood on merely shut down. An explosion also occurred near Cassandra's feet, catching her completely by surprise. When she recovered her senses, she noticed he was flying away on paragliding sails attached to his arms and legs. _I must admit, he certainly improved on his blade skills even if he is still a coward_ Cassandra thought.

It was while figuring out an escape plan that she took in the heavy rain that had downpoured on them while they fought and the occasional lightning that flashed above. Deciding there was nothing for it, she decided to simply use the Force to guide a fall straight down below. Even with the massive downpour, she could find her way back to the magistrate's palace after surviving this. _He'll meet us in battle again but this time, we'll take away his ability to retreat so we can actually bring him in_ she promised herself silently.

**Ken sensed a great** disturbance in the Force, like the darkening of an-already brewing storm. "A Jedi has been slain, Leia. One of the Old Order survivors is no more," he said. "I feel it too... the darkness deepens with every Jedi that is corrupted or killed.

"It's a wonder if we even make a difference in the galaxy with all the Dark-Side affiliated warriors in the galaxy: every one we redeem or kill is replaced by four more," Leia admitted. "However, I've been sensing a disappearance in the ranks of the servants of the Darkness. Have you not felt it?" Ken asked. Leia shook her head no and admitted that maybe it was because she didn't have his connection to the Dark Side.

"Don't mention that, remember where I got it from and you'll understand why," he warned. "Oh yeah, sorry," she said. "But I've noticed it too: the deaths that you sensed camouflage it except to well-trained Force-sensitives like you and I but the Dark Side's presence is shrinking. Could it be some sort of congregation in an area that's somehow blocked its Force signature to us?" Kendalina interjected.

"No, it seems like a congregation but not on a planet that's blocked from us. Rather, it seems more like a congregation at a planet filled with Dark Side energy. Which one it is, more specifically, is beyond me even if I know it's one of the major ones," he explained. "Is there a way to find out?" Leia asked.

"Not until they resurface and strike at us with a renewed fury, no. Then all becomes crystal clear," he answered. "Could your father be involved in this? We thought him dead after that battle you had with him on Naboo but who but Triclops could have cast that ritual on Manaan?" Leia suggested.

"There are a couple others even if they too are dead now: Kadaan of the Prophets and his apprentice Jedgar amongst others. Any Master Jarvishquiine who knows the spell could pull it off too," Ken countered. "But the Jarvishquiine need the blood of someone you know in order to affect you with that ritual, just like Kadaan and Jedgar would if they were alive," Kendalina said. "True but remember that I fought several Jarvishquiine and thwarted their schemes on many an occasion: they have a bond with me in that I'm their enemy.

"Any one of them could spill their own blood for the ritual and try to attack me even if they failed. However, I confess I'm not entirely sure how a Jarvishquiine would know of my family unless they have a telepath amongst their ranks," Ken replied. "Is that possible?" Leia asked. "Though they believe they're powerless without their blood rituals, it's not unlikely," he admitted.

"But Ken, unless Triclops somehow found a way to sever our bond before he died, I never sensed his death. I sensed his pain when you defeated him but I didn't sense him dying," Kendalina offered. "And why did you not tell me this before?" he inquired. "You were too heartbroken by the fact your wife and children left you for me to do that after you beat him.

"Last thing you needed was to know I sensed you didn't finish the job when you had just put your father down and lost the family you loved. It would have destroyed you to know that," Kendalina explained. "See Ken, your mother's always looking after you even when you're looking after everyone else you know," Leia said. "If he's alive, then I may need to pay a certain someone a visit: someone who might remember where Darth Nihilus' mask was taken," Ken said.

"Who would that be?" Leia asked. "If she's still alive, you'll know who she is after I visit her," Ken promised. "Why won't you tell us now?" Kendalina asked. "Because she made me swear to keep her existence a secret until after she died," he answered.

"You're not leaving right now, are you!?" Kendalina demanded. "I have to: she's old enough to where if I don't, she could die before I see her. What I mean when I say this is that she's only a year older than Obi-Wan Kenobi and he was old by the time he died on the Death Star. Just imagine how this woman is now," Ken told her.

"I'm coming with you, I want to meet her and I'm not leaving you alone if your father's still alive," Kendalina snapped. "Last time you did that, you only pissed him off even worse than if I had come alone to face him and that's assuming he's after me. No, this is something I have to do myself for your safety and Leia's," he said. "Ken, if he was the conductor of that ritual on Manaan, it was I who saved you!" Leia exclaimed.

"Only because he wasn't trying to break you as much as he was trying to shatter me. I admit, however, that he would likely have succeeded if you hadn't been there. Nonetheless, I know it's me he wants and some point, we will have to finish this alone, forever," he replied. Leia knew there was no denying that: Luke had fought their father on his own and triumphed.

If Triclops was indeed alive, Ken had already succeeded in defeating him once and could do it again. He didn't need Leia to help him and that wasn't just because the ritual on Manaan took too much energy to be conducted as frequently as throwing Force Lightning. It was because Ken had the strength of heart that was necessary to win in the last fight and would again in the next one. Thinking of this brought Leia and Kendalina back to the memories of the day that last battle had been fought between father and son.

On Saleucami, Triclops had found a device created by Darth Vitiate that he theorized could lure Darth Nihilus' mask out. The reason for this theory was because it was Force-imbued machine capable of plunging to the planet's core which would cause every volcano on the planet to erupt. So powerful would the eruptions be that they would end all life on Saleucami and turn it into the molten husk that Mustafar was now, a catastrophe the Lord of Hunger's soul would sense. Insane as it was, Ken couldn't allow his father even to find out if his theory was incorrect.

So the two of them fought as the device accumulated the power to fulfill its purpose though Ken stalled him long enough for Kendalina to channel her Light Side power on the device. Because the machine had been made only with the power of the Dark Side and the physical pieces that put it together, her Force Light caused it to malfunction so violently as to destroy itself. The blast that resulted was great enough to begin causing its magnificent domain to also tumble. But before it was too late, Ken and Triclops finished what should have been their final duel in seconds.

Ken severed both his father's arms then sliced him in half across the waist, causing the elder man to take a tumble that would've killed anyone else if the wounds hadn't. Now, the safety of the Mask and the galaxy was at jeopardy yet again and Ken was leaving to find someone. Someone who knew where the mask was located as a result of her youthful ventures yet had retired when it looked like she was no longer going to be able to fight well. _If she's still alive, let's hope her memory is also intact from those days_ Ken thought silently.

"Ken, in case you find out she's dead or is somehow incapable of helping you, can we know who this mystery person is?" Kendalina inquired after following him to his personal shuttle. He hesitated, unsure if he wanted to give this person's name away even if his mother had a sound point. Then he decided there was nothing for it except to ask her to tell no one else in exchange for the name to which Kendalina agreed. "I'm going to find the fallen New Mandalorian Duchess Satine Kryze.

"When her regime fell and she was banished from her own people, she took up Pre Vizsla's darksaber and a deactivator to pursue her own means of seeking justice. In 3 ABY, however, her adventures came to an end when my grandfather sent a Darth Maul clone to her. She held her own decently against the clone but he ultimately triumphed and took her saber with him. Satine herself only survived because she distracted him with shots from her regular pistol and used a jetpack to escape.

"She's been in exile on her newer Naboo residence ever since. I only know this because my father told me of how he was the one who persuaded the Emperor to send the clone. After she escaped, he had one of his own spies keep tabs on her until he had no further interest. Of course, he passed the information to me while he trained me and I've known ever since," Ken explained.

"Then may the Force be with you in finding her. Either that or finding someone to whom she gave the information before dying, if she's no more," Kendalina said. "Thank you, mother, I shouldn't be long," he replied before kissing her cheek and boarding his shuttle. When he took off, Kendalina stayed around until she could no longer see him in the skies of Yavin 4.

Then she thought to herself about what the vitality of Satine's information could do to affect the well-being of the galaxy. For as long as she knew him, Triclops had been obsessed with Darth Nihilus and now it seemed was though he was closer than ever to achieving his dream. "I've got a bad feeling about this," she said, thinking aloud. Soon enough, she was back inside the hut she and Ken shared but Leia also had to leave after she came back, leaving Kendalina by herself.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

Naboo was beautiful tonight but Satine Kryze often wondered how many tomorrows were left for the people of this planet. It was true that Sarcev Quest had almost completed training her daughter in the arts of a Force-sensitive but she also wondered how much more time he'd need. Sooner or later, the Empire would come back to Naboo for vengeance against its people in supporting the Jedi that it hunted during the Great Purge even if it defeated them in that battle. Even if it succeeded in taking their Queen's life and oppressing the people, the Empire would come back for vengeance as a result of the Rebels receiving Nubian support when they came.

_So majestic and beautiful, this planet. It would be a shame to see what the Empire would likely do to such a beauteous place if it were to take over again_ she thought silently. "Worried about the Empire returning, Duchess? How can it when it has so little power left?" Sarcev asked.

"No one thought my regime would take any power over Mandalore when I decided it was time for Mandalore to become peaceful. Yet after many assassination attempts, one of which was thwarted by my daughter's father Kenobi, and much strike, I prevailed. Then, at the height of my power, I thought Death Watch remain a group of lowly thugs forever. Now look what they've turned Mandalore into and look what's become of me since," she answered.

"But you had the strength to find a new way of life when your regime on Mandalore fell, the Empire doesn't have the strength to do that and now can't do that. So it was that when the Emperor died, I abandoned the Empire and pursued my own path which led me to you," he said. "You have a word for everything, don't you?" she asked. "Most things but not everything," he admitted.

"Then tell me what that shuttle is doing on my island?" she inquired, pointing to a shuttle that was landing near the shore of her moderate-sized island. "I'll take care of that, immediately. The intruder will either have a permit to see you or I'll make sure he leaves," Sarcev promised. Then he marched off to see what was the big deal with the shuttle that landed in Satine's full view.

**Ken had barely even** gotten off his shuttle and already, someone was coming to see why he was here. It was the nature of every visit he ever made to Naboo and when he recognized his encroacher as Sarcev Quest, he felt only annoyed at best. "Quest, I should have sensed you here when I got off the shuttle," he said. "I don't care how you know who I am but you are not welcome here unless you have a permit or milady's explicit consent!" Sarcev exclaimed.

"Did you know Triclops Palpatine? He's my father," Ken replied calmly. Sarcev ignited his orange lightsaber and demanded that Ken prove his skill if he was Triclops' son. "Not until I've spoken with the Duchess first," Ken countered.

Then he levitated Sarcev into the air with telekinesis, slammed his face into the sand, then sent him flying across the island, and into the water. He marched up to the Duchess' residence with no further challenges after that until he almost arrived to Satine's patio. "Who are you and what do you want with my mother?" hissed the young woman who faced him with a blade of her own. "That will be enough, Akane!

"He's an old acquaintance from after I retired from my adventures," Satine interjected. "Yes, mother," Akane said. "Didn't know Kenobi popped your cherry and left you with a child," Ken began. "And I didn't know you could throw Sarcev Quest around like a rag doll when you're in a hurry, what do you want!?" Satine snapped.

"No need to be rude, Duchess: last I recall, we parted on good terms. Anyway, I have some information that you might be able to help me with," he continued. "I knew it, let me guess: this is something from my adventure days," she interrupted. "Yes but not just anything: the subject is the location of my father's lifetime obsession a.k.a. Darth Nihilus' mask, do you know this?

"Because I believe my old man may still be alive even after the ferocious final battle we fought on Saleucami and I wish to be sure that the mask is safe," he explained calmly. Satine looked shocked at the comment that Triclops was still alive but only for a moment. It was likely because she remembered Kenobi telling her that Lord Maul survived being sliced in half too. "The mask of Darth Nihilus... I do believe I remember something with that name," she began.

She slid her fingertips across her chin as she thought about this and Ken had to admit he was wondering if she really did remember. "That's right, it was the last adventure I took before I retired forever: the reason that I lost Vizsla's darksaber," she continued. "Go on," Ken said, interested and deciding to take a seat on a chair next to him with her permission. "In 3 BBY, the Dai Bendu asked me to accompany them to Volik for a special mission.

"When we arrived, they told me that they too were looking for the mask of Darth Nihilus and fear that Triclops' obsession would soon enlighten him to Volik's location. Unwilling to take any chances, they sealed the mask in a golden chest of Light Side energy and whisked it away. However, when we briefly stopped in Old Alderaan for fuel, a clone of Lord Maul attacked us and I agreed to stall him until they had gotten the mask offworld and back home. Despite having no desire to leave me behind, they agreed and escaped just in time for me to lose the darksaber.

"You know the rest of my story from there even if it's safe to say that the mask is now stored deep within the heart of the Dai Bendu's capital temple. There, the most powerful members of the Kel Dor order will watch over the mask and guard it forever," Satine finished. "But they're unarmed save for the lightsabers of those Dai Bendu that also became Jedi and aren't dead already. If Triclops were ever to find this out, he would make sure to send the necessary forces to destroy them," Ken warned.

"Which is why, if he is alive, you will do your best to keep the knowledge out of his reach. Unless the Dai Bendu are to suffer the consequences and, quite possibly, the power of the mask reveal itself to be too great for him," Satine agreed. Ken didn't need an explanation for what she was talking about: he had heard of what often happened to those that augmented their powers too greatly. Any who did so usually had the power of the Force itself rip the very molecules of their being to shreds and obliterate their soul, scattering the pieces across time and space as punishment.

If Triclops' full potential proved to be too great to keep him safe, he would suffer that very fate if he put on the mask. But Ken wasn't so sure if that was good or bad: on one hand, it would mean losing his father forever and being rid of the nightmarish threat he represented. On the other, it would likely feel as though he was losing a part of himself that he might not want to lose. Like the Emperor before him, Triclops was an example of what Ken needed to overcome before death.

Actually, with his atrocious actions as an Inquisitor and as an Emperor's Eye proved to be even more disgusting than what his father or Vader would have ever had the stomach to do. Would Palpatine himself have had the stomach to personally disembowel one of his enemies for instance? While said enemy was still alive, one could add, as had been the case with Senator Apollo Tiberius, a protester of the Emperor's rule? If he didn't, he also wouldn't have the stomach to make the disemboweling cut then put a lasso around the man's neck and send him falling to a hanging.

Nor did Ken think his grandfather would have the stomach for something as simple (in Triclops' eyes) as using the Force to take Apollo's son and dip it into steaming, boiling water. This would have been especially true as Triclops kept the boil going until there was only the skull left. One of the most disgusting stories had been of how he castrated a Human male alive then let him bleed to death after burning the severed testes. Then, after the man had breathed his last breath, he fed his body to hungry nexxus he kept in a meal pit within the bowels of his personal estate.

Was Ken so sure he could feel any compassion for his father after all he'd done, good or bad in his life (even if the bad outweighed the good by a long shot)? Granted, it was a Jedi's duty to feel compassion and want to help all living things grow but did this living thing deserve that help? He had come to conflicts with Luke about it before and even the Grandmaster himself paused for thought. "Some that die deserve life and some that live deserve death, you are wise to be at a point where you aren't judging which is the former or latter," Luke had said.

"But how will I know when an individual fits one or the other?" Ken had asked. "More often than not, it's _incredibly_ hard even for us Jedi to decide that. Every choice, every action, has its consequences and whatever is done under a Jedi's jurisdiction affects the whole Order. Nonetheless, your father could (I confess) make for a good mold over how to choose and what to do when you've chosen," Luke had answered.

Reflecting on that, Ken speculated that perhaps it would be best to let his father reveal himself when he was ready to then see if the mask destroyed him when he found it. "You know something, Satine. If the mask proves to be too great for him, the worst that could happen (depending on the deficit) an explosion like ones we see from bombs. But you are right that I should keep the knowledge away from him, if he is alive," he finally said after much thought.

"Is that all Ken?" Satine asked. "There is one thing: will Sarcev Quest be back to fight me, any time soon? I threw him into the water when he was about to attack me and it's been several minutes already," Ken answered. "He's probably on his way, right now, assuming he hasn't stopped to make water-relate repairs to his lightsaber or been thrown out very far," she replied.

Chuckling, Ken turned around and looked out the porch to check and see, only to find an enraged Sarcev marching on his way. "I'll take care of it on my way out," Ken promised. "You'd better," Satine warned. "Thank you for everything Duchess, even if I admit the entrance was a bit rough," Ken replied.

"I did worse, myself," she admitted. Scoffing slightly, Ken marched off toward his ship and when Sarcev was close, he merely used the Force to push Sarcev into a stony outcrop nearby. Then he pinned him down with Force Crush until he was too far away for the elder man to catch up with him even if he used Force Dash. When he let him go, it was because Ken had already gone to the controls and was almost ready for the ship to take off.

**Cassandra and Rose led** the troops immediately after the fight with Edward, vowing not to waste another minute by standing around. According to what the datapads said, the numbers of the rebels were so much worse off now that the ten thousand troops the Jedi had were nearly overkill. Or would have been if Edward didn't have an arsenal that would assist the rebels in being a match for the main government army. "Ready for this, Rose?

"After his attempt on the magistrate's life, Edward's gonna be very uptight about fighting us. He may even just remove the source of any pressures that the rebel leaders might be giving him," Cassandra said. "Knowing Edward as I did when I refused to go out with him, that's probably true but I am ready," Rose agreed. Both girls smiled at that comment and Cassandra commended her friend for her courage.

It had been a few days since the attack and the army was on the verge of reaching the mountain passes where the rebellion had been making camp. _Funny that we should be this far into their territory and nothing's been done. Maybe Edward's wised up since he fought us and he's just letting us walk into a trap_ Cassandra thought worriedly. "Rose, send a memo down to the rest of the army to keep on the watch for any attacks from high ground.

"Less than two thousand can maneuver in these passes better than ten thousand can and they'll likely show no mercy once the fighting starts," she warned aloud. "I'll do that but truth be told, wouldn't it convenience us to send probe droids ahead to look for tunnels? If they dig up any infrared readings, we'll know them for what they are," Rose offered. Cassandra hadn't thought of that idea though now that Rose mentioned, she sensed validity in it.

"All right, send an order for the probe droids to scout ahead along with what I asked for earlier. I'd like the soldiers to be on their game even if the probes detect their location," Cassandra replied. "The memo's sent, the probe droids should be out within the next few seconds or so," Rose told her, having typed the memo into her comlink. "How did you do that so fast?" Cassandra asked.

"Lot's of practice under my old Master. Don't know why he thought it was a good idea but it helps," Rose answered. "Indeed and now we just gotta wait until those probes are finished before we really march," Cassandra stated. "So what's the plan when they find something?" Rose inquired.

"The rebels are likely going to expect us to funnel our way into their territory (which we'd have to if we did nothing before getting close) but I got a different idea. Technically, the rebels will still have the advantage but depending on where they're camped, they might not have every angle. With that said, we could reasonably spread our forces to make a circle around their territory and take them out even if they actually land a dent in whatever's sent in front of them. It'll be a steep climb regardless but these mountains don't look like the kind where they could watch their sides.

"Keep them busy at the front, but send the rest of our forces behind and around ahead of time. It's the best I've got for the time being even if it's not very good," Cassandra explained. "That's better than what these guys would have and what I'd accumulate," Rose confessed. "The more you talk like that, the more I want to smack you: don't trust me to come up with everything!

"Who knows when I'll let you down," Cassandra said. "You haven't yet which is why I trust you as much as I do," Rose told her. _What will you say when I do let you down?_ Cassandra thought but didn't say. As the probes spread around to create a range-wide laser field, the two Jedi watched as they did their work and came back with the information.

The coordinates were recognized by a soldier as belonging to a mountain that many had deemed to be haunted. "They likely called _that_ their base because they knew the more superstitious people would keep away. All right, listen everyone!" Cassandra began, using the comms to reach everyone. "Oh joy," Rose whispered.

"I need seventy-five hundred soldiers to go behind and around the haunted mountain, take the flanks of the front entrance and break in that way. The rest are to serve as a distraction for the rebels and lead the initial assault in. Once we're inside, it's just a matter of gunning down those who don't surrender and imprisoning those who do," Cassandra explained. "Why so merciless?" Rose asked.

"Let's just say diplomacy went out the window when we found out Edward Chun was still in business _and_ an official traitor. Now's not the time to be diplomatic even if there will be a time for mercy once our victory is assured," Cassandra answered. Rose shrugged in admission of that then the two of them began the long wait though Cassandra added she wanted heavy artillery. "If twenty-five hundred troops are to hope for a chance to stall, they'll need big guns," she added.

**Edward was furious at** the rebel leaders for what they had told him to do. "You fools, I told you that sending me to assassinate the magistrate was a bad idea with the Jedi around!" he shouted. "Some high-class assassin, you are! You can't kill a fatass nobleman of Christophsis because a couple of girls with lightsabers are protecting him!" mocked one old man.

"Have you no intelligence!? The Jedi have induced great feats of strength and power within their members without regard to gender or species!" Edward hissed. "Then why were men the ones the Jedi sent to lead their clone troops to battle?" asked another rebel leader. "Likely because the women were serving other missions that were just as grueling, you idiot," Edward said.

He almost wanted to reveal the existence of the Nightsisters, the Hapans, and quite a few other societies were females were supreme. And he was almost tempted to put them in a Force stasis long enough to send them off to one of those planets. Then he'd watch from afar as the warriors of those societies tore these old misogynistic fools, limb from limb. But instead, he withdrew his saberstaff and offered them a proposition.

"Stop me before I activate my saberstaff and throw it in such a fashion as for the blades to decapitate you. If you succeed, then you have made an error in hiring me but fail and you die, leaving me in charge of this rebellion while it still lives," Edward said. "That should be easy enough," said the head of the council. Before they went for their blasters, Edward observed that there were seven of these old bastards and having both the blades activated would be fastest.

So just before they could raise their blasters to take aim, he ignited the blades and used Force-augmented speed and telekinesis to send his weapon through their ranks. The blades scored hit after hit, each severed head flying to a point centimeters away from the ankles of the corpses. After hitting the last leader, he let his blade hang in the air for a while before reversing the spin and bringing the lightsaber back to his hand. Deactivating his weapon completely, he took into account that he had a young witness in the rebel Captain of the Guard.

"You know what you must do. Are you in or out?" Edward asked. "After some careful observation and consideration, I think I'm still in," the younger man said. "Then make sure it's clear that I am the new law and order of this resistance.

"Also make it clear that should we survive the inevitable counterattack to the assassination attempt, there will be some reformities needed to keep this rebellion alive. Can you do that for me?" Edward added. "Yes sir!" the young Captain said before running off to obey. _He values his life, good... then he will fight for it when they come_ Edward observed.

He looked at his handiwork and for once, was pleased that it didn't take him as much effort as it used to. When he first came to the Jarvishquiine, anything with telekinesis had taken effort but now it was almost as though he could fight Jedi Masters. However, there was one problem in his arsenal of newly-developed Force powers: the fact some Jedi could still best him in saber combat. So after disposing of the rebel leaders, he returned to the suitcase he had brought with him and produced a gift that the Jarvishquiine had given him.

Yes it was a lightsaber but it had the hilt of a broadsword and a fake scabbard, connected to the hilt by means of magnetism. This was their signature for those who became their bodyguards but Edward had a different idea for it. Rather than just leave it until he lost his saberstaff, he decided to strap it across his back and wait until the Jedi were certain they were going to win. Then he would whip out this lightsaber and wield it in simultaneity to his saberstaff, both sides still on.

It was a style of Jar'Kai that they had likely never seen before and would never see again if he should die but it did give him a good feeling to surprise them. _However, if Cassandra finds a way around even this, I'm still doomed. It's unlikely she'll let me return to Triclops alive and he would kill me if I did return. No, better to force them to kill me here than hope for a slow and painful death at the hands of Palpatine's son_ Edward thought.

If he had known what he'd be signing up for when he agreed to come here and fight the Jedi, he wasn't so sure if he would have still accepted the mission. Yes, the resistance would make his last stand spectacular but that was the thing. Did he want this to be his last stand or did he want to escape and become a mercenary, working for the highest bidder? True he had his family wealth back on Serenno but after he disappeared, it wasn't like they were going to fork money blindly. If he survived this, who said Triclops had to see him die when all he said was don't come back at all?


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

Triclops was fascinated when he realized, after looking through Talia's family comlink, that ex-Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore perfectly matched the face in his vision. Yes, he was surprised but nothing could change that Satine (of all people) was the bearer of what he needed. _Here I was, thinking that I would have had no more use for her when I decided to send no one after Sarcev decided to betray me and stay with her. Then again, this past year has been full of surprises for me_ Triclops confessed.

Now it was time to have her serve a final purpose before she would never again be of use to him, a purpose involving the spewing of a location. If she didn't speak, her daughter's life was going to be put into jeopardy but if she did then only she would die. _She doesn't fear death anymore: she's so old that she knows she could drop any day. But what of her bratty daughter... that could come quite in handy_ he reminded himself silently.

He even thought about the possibility of ripping her soul from her body and using it as the starting point of a kind of "Force bomb" as he called it. It was a spell that involved ripping an individual's soul from their body then thrusting it as high into the air as possible. The stolen soul would absorb power from the planet's Force and the gravity field before stopping. Upon landing, the bomb would make an explosion whose power varied with the momentum gained.

Given Naboo's size, Triclops could gain enough to easily wipe out a fourth or more of the planet. It would be more souls for the mask of Darth Nihilus and perhaps, the spirit of the Dark Lord would even show him how to reach the mask. "If only the Dark Lord would reveal his design for me!" he hissed, thinking aloud. But then, even if the spirit of the Dark Lord didn't speak to him, it would still be fun to hear the people screaming as they died.

As he arrived to Naboo, he decided that it would be best to formulate a plan about how to deal with Satine's 'defenses'. Sarcev Quest would likely be the first to leap at him in attack, especially if Ken had come by to visit and had swatted him aside like a fly. With that being the case, he would probably have to use a Force Destruction spell in order to undo him quickly. Once that was done, he'd likely use telekinesis to throw Satine into his ship before taking the girl's soul.

The planet was a beautiful green-blue orb in space like it always had been but he knew that was all about to change, soon enough. When he touched down on the last known coordinates of Satine Kryze, he knew her security would be quick to arrive. Sarcev, the man who had once given Triclops life and had even served him, now rose an orange lightsaber against his former protege. "Still the unrefined and pitiful fool that you have always been, Quest," Triclops stated before raising a hand to use the Force.

Casting a wave of Force Destruction, he watched as the elder man disintegrated to ash before he could react and leave Triclops unchallenged except for possibly Satine's daughter. But it was as if thinking of her had called her forth as the young girl leapt to attack. While in the air, she used telekinesis to call her fallen master's lightsaber to her and attempted to attack with Jar'Kai. However, he simply used Force Lightning and Pull to toss her aside before making his final approach to Satine.

"What do you want from me, you filthy bastard?" Satine hissed. "Is that any way to greet the father of one of your best friends? Or has Ken paid you too few visits to warrant that title?" Triclops mocked. "You leave that boy alone!

"You have done far too much damage in his life for him to ever forgive you! I know I most certainly don't forgive you for what you've done," she snapped. "How can you forgive that which was never done to you? I never bothered with you except to send Sarcev to spy on you, in case you rose up to threaten my father's reign again," he replied.

"Any insult to a friend, or to an honorary child like I confess considering Ken, is an insult to me," she countered. "Fair enough, I suppose. So I too have come for information that only you can lend: where is the mask of Darth Nihilus!?" he demanded. "I'll die before I tell you," she warned.

"But will your daughter have to die before you tell me?" he retorted. "My daughter is a child of Mandalore as much as I am and a Jedi Knight like her father. She and I are more than prepared to be separated through the death of one of us, if necessary," she told him. "Interesting, so you're telling me your daughter is an attempt to unite the principles of the feuding Jedi and Mandalorians.

"What? Did you hope that through what you did with your daughter, you'd close the gaping wounds in the Jedi way left by the Mandalorian Wars?" he mocked, laughing after he'd spoken. "No and that's because I know the wound would never be closed by my actions alone: all I hoped was that I could provide some building blocks to that closing," she said calmly. "How delightful yet sad at the same time, perhaps this is why you're a fallen Duchess of Mandalore.

"Or was your weak-minded pacifism the real catalyst?" he inquired. "Are you going to threaten my daughter's life before she comes to threaten yours? Or are you just going to kill me now?" she replied. Triclops thought over that carefully and relied on both what he could get from telepathy and his ability to read her body language to come to a decision.

When he did come to a decision, he figured it was best to lay down a harsh one. "I am almost tempted to kill you now then finish off your daughter before she can face me again. You would go to your grave knowing that your daughter would soon follow. But I think not: whether it's your old age or the sincerity I can see on your face, your courage has impressed me.

"Oh yes, a part of me is still capable of what you call honor. I will merely comatose your daughter for two weeks, having changed my mind about using her soul to create a Force bomb. The power in her soul combined with the absorbed energies of this planet would have wiped out a fourth of Naboo's land-dwelling people and caused major disruption to the Gungans," he confessed. "You, a son of the Emperor, possess some honor?

"Utterly fascinating when one considers how thoroughly insane you are!" she exclaimed. "Do _not_ push your luck, bitch," he ordered. Just then, Satine's daughter came in but before she could land a blow, he whipped out his lightsaber at a great enough velocity to match her move. When his blade struck against her two orange ones, the impact was great enough to make her tumble onto her butt even if Satine ensured she didn't rise up to fight again.

"You've taught her obedience to authority, I know several men that'd she make a great wife for," he joked. "She is still being taught to learn when to back down and when not to but leave now. The next time you two cross paths, I won't hold her back from fighting you whether I'm still alive or not," Satine warned. _I would have expected nothing less of you, Satine_ he thought but didn't say.

Then he marched past Akane and was about to leave when he halted in his track. "I do believe there is still a way to gain the information I wish to have out of you. It's one you have no defenses against even with your ability to deflect most instances of telepathy," he said. "Get out now!" Satine's daughter shouted.

"Has it not occurred to you that I could crush you at my leisure? It's interesting that you still speak ill to me when this is the case," he said. He proved what he could do by sending a ball of pyrokinesis at the young girl and used the distraction to teleport to his ship. Once he did that, he started the ship and had his droid pilot fly them from the jungle planet that had birthed his line.

**Edward had been made** aware of the enemy soldiers arriving by scouts and was a bit disappointed how many the Jedi had come with. "I would have thought the Jedi would have assigned a bigger force. Never mind, let me get my arsenal together and I'll make the first move: stay here until I'm out of ammo on my chain gun and grenade launcher before moving in. Any sooner and you might help the rebels gain momentum," Edward ordered.

"Yes sir!" said several rebel troops. It was quick and easy for Edward to do it: both weapons could be disassembled and fit into his briefcase even if he had to sling his ammo across his body. The assemblage of these pieces was also very easy as he had had years of practice in doing this (whenever the Jarvishquiine didn't forbid him from using these weapons). The first was the chain gun which had the most part but was the quickest to assemble of the two weapons.

Upon inserting the battery package (which would account for six thousand shots) he stepped outside the cave to begin his barrage. When he arrived to the entrance, he took a moment to aim before simply firing and waving the chain gun in the range where its shots were needed. The army before him did little to counter him though he was forced to occasionally turn his body to dodge blaster shots that nearly reached him. _Not bad for being under fire_ Edward thought silently.

When he ran out, a few minutes later, he simply cast aside the chain gun and began loading up the grenade launcher with his grenade belt (the weapon itself could fit three). He first aimed for their heaviest artillery (i.e. their ATWs also known as All-Terrain Walkers) before firing randomly. It took half the belt to destroy all the walkers but when he finished, the random ones went among the crowd, taking more casualties whenever they unleashed their full destructive power. After running out on both weapons, he retreated back inside and clipped a battery into his pistol.

He signalled the rebels that it was their time but as they charged out to face their enemy, he finally realized that the Jedi had not been with that force he had attacked. _Wait, there aren't more of them out there, are there?_ he asked himself silently. Then it occurred to him that he might have fallen for one of the oldest military tricks there was when it came to high ground. What better way to neutralize the high ground advantage then to have your enemy focused on what was in front?

Anyone focusing on what was ahead in these types of settings would almost never notice an attack from behind or to the flanks until it was too late. "Oh kriffing hell!" he shouted, thinking aloud. "What is it?" asked a rebel officer. "It's a trap, pull everyone back now!" he answered.

But he spoke too late: just as the heat was really beginning to pick up, shots fired onto the heads of rebel troops from the flanks, a signature of the kind of trap Edward was talking about. "Get everyone that isn't out there to the back! Do what you can about dealing with the troops but the Jedi are mine!" he ordered. "Fall back, fall back!" the officer shouted at the top of his lungs.

Some troops stayed behind to try and hold back their enemies but the vast majority of everyone there obeyed, running to the deeper tunnels of the mountain. Edward even began firing shots out of his blaster pistol in the hopes of slowing down the advancement of his foes. However, once Cassandra and Rose appeared in the midst of the slaughter, there was no stopping it. The Jedi even tried deflecting some blaster bolts and sending them back at him or hitting rebels with them.

_Damn you, damn you to the foulest depths of whatever hell there is for Force-sensitives, you slippery bitches!_ Edward thought as he ran. When he ran out of bolts for his pistol, he made sure to try and lure the Jedi away from their allies by lighting up his saberstaff. "Follow me if you dare, bitches. I'll make you pay for this outrage," he whispered, thinking aloud.

**Cassandra and Rose were** surprised as to how well the attack they orchestrated had gone: with Edward aiding them, they would've imagined more of a struggle. So when they saw Edward light up his saberstaff and head away from the rebels, they were excited. Telling the troops with them to keep pressing on and find the rebels, the Jedi went the opposite way. "Edward, there's nowhere to run without us eventually finding you!

"It's better you just come on out and we can end this forever," Cassandra shouted. "You're right, Cassandra: in a test of mind, you've proven yourself. But how good are your lightsaber skills?" Edward mocked. Then he withdrew both his saberstaff and a traditional lightsaber in simultaneity, wielding the weapons against the Jedi with fluidity the two hadn't ever seen before.

_Use Soresu and try to wear him out, he'll have to give one of those weapons up if he keeps this performance up for too long_ Cassandra said telepathically. Rose nodded in understanding and decided to also include the usage of Dun Möch into her fighting. This included sending several rocks in his path, hoping that by forcing him to cut them to size, she could wear him out quicker. While it didn't wear Edward out, it did force him to withdraw his traditional blade which allowed both Jedi to go in for a fierce attack, the hope that he didn't whip it out again riding high.

Rose distracted him by flanking him with twirls and spins, characteristic of her style while Cassandra attacked directly with powerful hacks and slashes that kept him on the defense. At one point, Cassandra even scored a lucky hit and sliced the saberstaff in half with her own blade. It was then that both of them used a Force Push to knock the halves out of his hands when he hit a wall. Like nearly all saberstaffs, both halves of Edward's weapons malfunctioned upon being being severed from each other and deactivated, forcing him down to his traditional blade.

"Surrender, Edward Chun!" Rose ordered, pointing her cyan-blue blade at him while Cassandra also pointed her dark purple one. "Never!" Edward replied before conducting a Force repulse. Cassandra and Rose both managed to throw a barrier of Force energy up to absorb this but the resulting pulse ricocheted off them and exploded in the surrounding tunnels. Had Edward not found another exit, the Jedi right behind, that entire section of tunnel would have smashed them all.

"You cannot stop me! A darkness greater than the days of Emperor Palpatine is destined to fall upon us all and I will emerge supreme ruler in the wastes that remain!" Edward shouted. He ignited the traditional blade he had wielded earlier and pointed its blade at the Jedi as he spoke. "The hell do you mean?" Cassandra demanded.

"A force from beyond the boundaries of the galaxy, beyond even the bounds of the Unknown Regions is approaching. One that will destroy you all while I simply ride out the tides until I can re-emerge to take my share of what is leftover," he answered, laughing maniacally. "You really have gone insane, did my refusal really hurt you that bad?" Rose taunted. "Spare me your insults, I have no use for them!" he exclaimed.

He shot bolts of Force Lightning their way (after deactivating his blade) and used the distraction to run to the edge of a nearby cliff then jump. When the Jedi duo ran up to the edge, they saw him paraglide towards a smaller mountain where his ship was parked on its flattest peak. "In the end, cowards like Edward Chun are those who serve the whim and might of the Dark Side. I have a feeling we'll be seeing him again, if what he says is true," Cassandra stated as the two watched him ignite his ship's engines and leave Christophsis.

"He talked about a race of beings beyond even the boundaries of the Unknown Regions. What could that mean? Does that relate to his travel?" Rose asked. "It will be interesting to reflect on, later.

"Hm, there are beings from outside this galaxy that we've encountered: Luke Skywalker's father encountered the Mortis Triam during the Clone Wars. And there are records where the same trio relied on a race of beings called Killiks to build some monumental things. But beyond that, I haven't heard of an actual race of beings that could remotely have come from outside the galaxy. However, it isn't entirely impossible that he's encountered such extragalactic beings even if the chances are incredibly slim," Cassandra admitted.

She hesitated about telling Rose about her mother's own adventures, where Arden Lyn had encountered a race called the Yuuzhan Vong in the process of helping Grand Admiral Thrawn out. It was true that her mother had described them as extragalactic but she couldn't be sure if they were the ones. There was so much that remained undiscovered in the universe that it could be possibly be another species that had yet to be discovered. Better to hold onto that bit of information for as long as possible and hope it wasn't the Yuuzhan Vong... to Cassandra, this seemed best.

**Triclops was headed to** Kamino to check on the progress of his Darth Maul clones when he was suddenly forced to deflect bolts of green energy with his saber. Rolling out of the blast range, he demanded to know who was attacking him. "I am Triclops Palpatine, former Crown Prince of the Empire and son of the Emperor! Who goes there?" he added.

"Come now, Triclops, is that any way to treat a fellow ally of Talzin?" said an ominous voice. From within the shadows and into the rain, a man of a species that Triclops had not seen before stepped forth to introduce himself as Nom Anor of the Yuuzhan Vong. "Talzin did mention something along the lines of your people to me once. But I treat people who shoot at me the same way each time," he countered.

"That was merely a test to see if you'd reveal your identity as well as the details that Mother Talzin said you would when she summoned us. I am here to offer you a deal, if you were but to take a moment and listen," Nom Anor said. "I'm listening," Triclops said. "Normally, we Yuuzhan Vong destroy anything and everything mechanical but we see this would upset you.

"So in return for giving our troops passage through your systems and not hindering our path of conquest whether through the use of machines or not, we will leave you alone. You will not have to worry about us fighting you and we will even let you rule this one when we're done. Talzin knew you would like the sound of that and even told us it would suit your obsession for the mask of Darth Nihilus best so what do you say, ally or enemy?" Nom explained. "I will need time to finish my business here then return to Dromund Kaas.

"My forces will need to know you're coming and will need my hand by their side in order to avoid mistaking you for a threat and firing upon you. I will also need a way I can contact you to let you know that they will be expecting your arrival. Otherwise, I think we have ourselves a deal," Triclops told him._ I wonder if this will be more advantageous to me than my original alliance with Talzin; the old hag was wearing out her usefulness when she died but this is promising_ he thought.

"Very well, I will give you the time you need and shall put in a request for a comlink. That is what you people use for communication, is it not?" Nom replied. "No need for that, I have a spare that you may use. It's preprogrammed with encryptions that will protect our communications from the more inquisitive members of my galaxy," Triclops said before tossing said spare to him.

"You know, for all the faults she mentioned, I do believe I'm going to enjoy working with you. In case you disbelieve my offer for when our conquest is done, you have my word on the honor of all my ancestors that I will see to it that our Overlord doesn't give the order to attack you. If such a word is violated, it will doom my descendants to the foulest fates that my people can possibly think of while I am executed for treason," Nom told him as he caught the comlink. "Then it seems I should have no worries, would you also do more to introduce me to your culture?

"From what Talzin has told me, outsiders like myself aren't formally welcomed but that doesn't mean you cannot give me informative insights while I remain on the outside looking in," Triclops asked. "You know, the last time I did such a thing, it didn't go very well. However, perhaps you will be different seeing as that was the only the first time I did that," Nom answered. "Thank you again, Anor.

"Now, if you will excuse me, I have some business to attend to," Triclops stated. Nom bowed and bade farewell to the son of Palpatine before disappearing again. As he walked inside Kamino's facilities again, he couldn't help but smile. This was going to be very interesting indeed.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

The mission to Christophsis was over but Edward's words deeply disturbed Cassandra, even to the point of Rose sensing ripples of turmoil through her Force bond. "Something wrong, friend?" Rose asked. "Nothing I won't be able to sort out, once we know what kind of extragalactic race Edward might be talking about," Cassandra answered. "You're still worried about that?" Rose continued.

"There is so much unexplored stuff in the universe and the possibilities are endless, including the possibility that he's just lying," Cassandra admitted. "You know something you're not telling me, don't you?" Rose asked. "I'm only withholding the information because I'm not sure if he's talking about the extragalactic race I know of from my mother's stories. It could be those guys or it could be another race that we've not even heard of.

"For all we know, it could even be a race that once did live in this galaxy but disappeared only to now begin returning," Cassandra answered. "Well, if it's any consolation to you, Coruscant has just fallen out of Imperial control and all Jedi are being asked to move there. Maybe you can share your findings with Master Skywalker and the NR Senate when we get there," Rose said. "Only if this race is the same one that Edward's talking about: I'll not share knowledge that doesn't need to be shared," Cassandra replied.

"You have a point there but won't you at least tell me what you know? You scare me when you know something you're not telling me, especially important things," Rose begged. "Sorry to keep you that way but I have to," Cassandra said calmly. Rose looked as though she were disappointed and Cassandra hated letting her down to such a state as this.

"I promise, I'll reveal what I know when we have more definitive information especially if it points towards one of my main suspects. Okay?" Cassandra asked. "Fair enough," Rose said, grumbling. The two of them said nothing as they headed to Coruscant for the first time in both their careers as Jedi and in their lives

**Edward Chun had escaped** but in his haste to exit Christophsis, he forgot to put down the coordinates for Serenno and wound up ending his flight on Mustafar, instead. "Dammit, I hate this place!" he hissed as he stepped out from the wreck caused by the loss of fuel and power on his ship. However, he spied a facility where he could likely stow away on a cargo ship, several hundred meters to his west (even if he did so with the aid of recovered macrobinoculars). _If I can just get a ride off this damn rock and back to Serenno, I can start my revenge_ he thought silently.

Marching with only a pistol and his lightsaber from the Jarvashqiine, Edward paid attention only to what he felt he needed to pay attention to in order to reach the facility. However, this turned out to be his undoing: not long after leaving the wreck, he stepped on a sinkhole. So weak was the foundation beneath that he fell through and was lucky to be alive afterward. He was luckier still to not have been seriously injured by the fall although he was almost wishing he died.

In response to his presence, lights flickered on and what appeared to be the top of a living ship began to react to having him on its nose. "What is this?" he asked, thinking aloud. "Welcome to a secret launchpad of the Yuuzhan Vong people. My name is Vergere and I have been expecting you, Edward Chun," said a Fosh woman that Edward had seen only once before.

"Vergere... the name sounds familiar, actually," Edward admitted. "That's because once, not too long before you disappeared to fight with the Jarvashqiine, I was a councilor to your father. I have gone between my both people and yours, watching you grow throughout all of your life. Now, I extend the offer I would have extended to your father if he hadn't perished in the firefight above Serenno.

"I offer you the chance to take your father's wealth and use it to help my people destroy this galaxy. What is left will be yours to rule or rebuild to something you can rule, if you don't like what we leave you," Vergere explained. Edward thought carefully about that, unsure if he was truly ready to acquire his deceased father's wealth even if he was legitimate to do so. "I'm guessing you demand something of me in return," Edward replied, carefully.

"Simply lead this fleet to Coruscant and kill any Jedi that oppose you in the process. In return, we shall deliver on our end but fail... fail and there will be nowhere to hide. No barren moon, no crevice, no planet whether inhabited or not where we can't find you. Of course, you could say no and die here but that is your choice," Vergere stated.

Edward had to admit that the stakes were pretty high and the stakes for failure (assuming he survived this fight) were even higher. But what would he have to go back to if he said no and escaped this alive? Would he last long in the war that was undoubtedly to come and would the Jedi be the first to catch him? Or would Vergere and her allies be the first to reach him and teach him the meaning of pain?

And even if he managed to ditch them long enough to last the war, what would he do once it was all over? At best, he'd have to become a mercenary and if he did that, he'd be in competition with such familiar faces as Boba Fett, his granddaughter Ailyn Vel, and Aurra Sing among others. People would pay more for a mercenary or bounty hunter like them, who they knew could get a job done, then pay for the likes of him at first. He would eventually make it to being amongst them, if they didn't stomp him out like an ant first or make sure the Hutts did that.

This was his chance to go down in a blaze and possibly restore some honor to the family that had been earlier disgraced by Count Dooku's deeds in the Clone Wars. A chance to finally make good and give his family something to brag about for the years to come. Sure that had made a bad start before but then, Dooku had had a better one than even his parents did. He had all the means to create his own government to rebel against the Republic and that's just what he did.

"Vergere, I think I am in but there is something I'd like you to do for me directly. True, you were a benefactor to my father but that doesn't entirely directly benefit me in any way," he said. Handing him a datapad, he told her that it provided the instructions she needed for an old art of the Dark Side. When she looked over the information, she realized that it was the instruction booklet for a ritual that Lord Sidious had attempted to use on Master Yoda during the Clone Wars.

"But how would I be able to use it if everyone of significance to me has been long dead?" she asked, pleased he would so lightly hand such information to her. "I will offer my blood to allow you the means to attack one Cassandra Lyn with this power. So long as she remains in the picture, your warriors' battle with the Jedi will be short-lived," he explained. "You wish her killed?" Vergere inquired.

"Though that would be a bonus, I only require that you use this on her: depending on how she copes with being under such circumstances, she could be rendered comatose by its power. With that said, I only need her reduced to that in order for her to be out of the way when our forces arrive on Coruscant," he explained. "You will have your wish, I will let you know when I have set up the equipment for the ritual which won't be difficult or long," she said. _That remains to be seen, Fosh: you have already threatened my life which is already asking for trouble_ he thought.

Drawing upon the power of telekinesis, she used the living element of the ship to conjure the pedestal normally used for the ceremony, even generating the pool of light-blue water. When this was done, she asked for Edward to extend his hand in order for Force his bond to be utilized. "A shame only a drop is needed, one would've thought a powerful ceremony like this would call for more but such is the nature of the Force. Or perhaps, just the nature of the Dark Side and nothing else," Vergere stated as she produced a knife to draw out his blood.

Edward cared not for her trifles as he let her cut his hand before producing bandages from his portable first-aid kit. As he watched her recite the incantation, she beckoned him to draw on the Force and concentrate on Cassandra. "Will she not sense my presence?" Edward asked. "We will approach her with a familiar face, if she is Cassandra Lyn as I suspect," she answered.

"She is none other," he admitted. "Then we will approach her with a face she would be eager to see again. One whom she would ask and want answered all the questions she bears in mind," she replied. All this was said, just before Vergere plunged her face into the pool that had been enhanced by her Force Lightning and Edward's as per the necessities of the spell.

**Cassandra hadn't been on** Coruscant very long and she was eager to explore the Temple. After all, this had been the formal crown jewel of the Jedi Order and a joy to have beheld both as a member of the Jedi Order and as a regular citizen of Coruscant. So when she unpacked the possessions she brought with her (which was only a duffle bag for clothes and a saber kit), she began exploring. Granted, she was still trifled by what Edward had said at Christophsis but there was nothing that could be done about that until the time came when all was revealed.

However, a dark presence began to swell in the temple and compel her to a chamber in the temple that had likely not been discovered by anyone, if its dustiness was any indication._ What is this place... a storage of artifacts that Sidious had found in the galaxy?_ she asked silently. She asked this question to herself mostly because of the nature of the artifacts around her. Torture devices, pain stimulators and enhancers, kits of injectors likely used for stimulant delivery.

The stimulants themselves were also likely powerful enough to keep any victim subjugated to tortures here awake to feel the full depth of the pain Sidious intended for them. But upon placing a finger to wipe dust off one, she sensed not Palpatine but Triclops' presence on this. She guessed it was him because of the similarity to Ken's presence it generated only that it was older. It was also more primordial, darker, and filled more thickly with hate and insanity.

She suspected this was also a place where he satisfied his twisted fascinations with the different biologies of species in the galaxy. It was as if thinking this caused the cries of agony and pain amongst Triclops' victims to surface again but a cry that seemed out of place was being uttered. This one, out of the ordinary as it was, also sounded familiar to Cassandra as though she had heard it before. "What in the...?" she began.

Turning to her right, where she heard the sound coming from, she saw a faint blue light glowing gently against the rest of the darkness and Cassandra walked in its direction. As it grew stronger and stronger, she saw that the blue light was actually the sign of bonds holding a prisoner. "Help me," whispered the woman, whose voice sounded too much like Cassandra's for it to be nothing short of creepy. A closer look at the figure that emanated the voice told Cassandra something that she couldn't believe.

"Ma... Mommy. You're alive?" Cassandra asked. "Cassandra, is that you? How long have I been here?" the woman answered.

"I'm... I'm almost nineteen, Mom," Cassandra admitted. "And you've grown so beautiful. Help me and I will reveal everything that happened," Arden Lyn promised. Smiling widely, as though she were a child again, Cassandra almost obeyed her mother.

But a closer look at the figure posing as her mother and suddenly, she realized something was wrong. "Wait... when I was five, my mother fought the Emperor and was left immobilized on the floor of a third-rate motel. Then the Emperor asked an assassin of his to finish her off... I can't remember the assassin but I remember being so alone and helpless," Cassandra said. "What if I could tell you who that assassin was?

"Free me and I will reveal him," the figure posing as Arden requested. "You admit that my mother was killed by an assassin and you know it to be a man who did it. Just show your true figure now and be done with it," Cassandra ordered. She stepped back six steps and decided this would allow the figure breathing room to reveal itself to him.

Cackling maniacally, a blue fire engulfed the torn figure of Arden Lyn to reveal a Fosh that Cassandra hadn't met before but had seen pictures of in datapads. "Vergere...? How do you know this power?" Cassandra demanded, surprised to see her. But before anything else could be said, Cassandra was overwhelmed by an anesthetizing power that soon saw her unconscious.

For several seconds, that was how she remained and when she revived, she found herself in an unfamiliar environment made of metal, glass, and electric lights. It was dull with a shining grey floor and ovular white lights shining on the walls. What the hell? she asked herself silently. "Search your memory of the histories, look to the stormtroopers marching past you and the mouse droids at your feet," said a voice she suspected was Vergere's.

It took her a moment but she soon registered that she was on the Death Star and it seemed that she had arrived at a very special moment. Galen Marek, codenamed Starkiller by his former Master Lord Vader, was making his rescue mission for the leaders of the Rebellion. Deciding there was nothing for it, she thought it best to aid him in his intrusions. Igniting her lightsaber, she cut down the stormtroopers nearest to her in order to indicate her intentions.

"Who the hell are you, girl?" asked Starkiller, who she recognized through the robes he had apparently worn in holovids taken from his fight with the Emperor. "My name is Cassandra, I'm here to assist you," she said. "Suit yourself, we're cutting a path right through to the Emperor's chambers and I will kill him. Will you help me find the rebel leaders and get them out of here?" he continued.

"I'll do what I can but I'm looking for a Fosh woman named Vergere. If I say her, I'm going to see about stopping her," she warned. "Fair enough," he said. Then the fight was on, Cassandra lending her powers to the man who brought down the Emperor and Vader alone.

**Though Ken had been** here before, something about this particular visit to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant troubled him. It wasn't the sight nor the fact that his grandfather had used it as a place of untold horrors so much as something related to his father. Triclops had told him numerous stories about how his grandfather had lent him a portion of the temple for his own experiments. Was there something within the temple itself that could be directly linked to those stories of his father's more devious days?

Following his senses when he sent this thought out through the Force, more the Force power within this temple than anything else, he was immediately pointed to a dark corner. "Why that and not something more obvious?" he asked, thinking aloud. The spirits whispered for him to listen to his instincts so that he may find the answer on his own. Nodding, he gave into the voices of his instincts and was immediately horrified at the result.

"Cassandra! What in blazes is she doing there!?" he shouted to himself, thinking aloud. He ran as fast as his feet could carry him, even using the Force to knock some of his colleagues aside. "Sorry! But it's imperative I get where I'm going!" he shouted.

His lightsaber lance barely held on to his hand as he ran a couple miles to reach the dark corner that had been illuminated by the Force. When he arrived, the door was already opened, indicating that Cassandra had indeed entered the room as he feared. At first, he didn't even dare enter since he saw visions of his father torturing innocent people in this room. But his desire to protect Cassandra overwhelmed any fear he had of what this chamber held within it.

Pushing his way on through, he found Cassandra lying unconscious, just inches away from where his father had likely pinned his victims up before beginning his experiments. Sensing the veil of a Dark Side ritual upon her, Ken tried to see what he could do about undoing it. However, the veil fought back and even threw him into a closed cabinet hard enough to shatter the doors. Groaning from the pain as he slowly rose back up from the blast, he knew exactly what it was that had done that.

"The ceremony, someone's trying to complete it on her in the hopes of either breaking her or rendering her comatose. Damn it father, did you really have to go telling people how to do it!?" he thought aloud. Using telekinesis, he levitated Cassandra into the air and carried her body to the medical rooms where he arranged for her to have a bed prepared immediately. Upon setting her there, he stayed to watch her condition in the hopes that she improved soon.

"Ken, what in the universe has happened? People are complaining you used the Force to shoved them aside!" Leia began. But Ken interrupted her by revealing Cassandra's comatose form, her face perfectly capturing her feelings. "What happened to her?" Leia asked.

"Someone's trying to perform a powerful Dark Side ritual on her. Remember what happened on Manaan? I sense the same thing happening to her that someone tried to do to us there," Ken answered. "Triclops... it must be him," Leia said.

"I don't think so: when I tried to undo the veil on her mind, I didn't sense him trying to stop me. Actually, I got a brief image of a Fosh woman conducting the ceremony when I was thrown aside with the Force. If it is who I think it is, she must have sensed my attempts to stop her and acted accordingly," he told her. "I must bring this up with Luke: if she's really who you suspect it is, we may be in for some serious trouble," she said gloomily.

"You do that although I'm not sure he'll be able to do anything to help even if he knows all the purification spells of the Light. Nothing has ever brought anybody targeted by this ritual back except their own will. It's the same with essence transfer: the invasive spirit is defeated only by the strength of the host," he explained. She nodded and decided to march off in search of her brother, leaving Ken to stay beside Cassandra and possibly offer strength to her.

"Cassandra... if you can hear me, I am here to stay by your side. Let your bond with me and your friendship with Rose give you the strength you need to come back to us," he said. He placed a hand on her crossed ones, hoping that his warmth could somehow transfer to her. A tear rolled down each of his eyes as he watched her comatose form sleep peacefully.

If there was something he could do to unravel the effects of this ritual, he would. After all, he would have fallen for its effects himself if Leia had not prevailed on Manaan. Now, he was just as helpless as he had been when he himself underwent that spell, feeling some of it to this day. That was when he considered speaking to her through telepathy, hoping that he could somehow guide her back to the realm of consciousness.

_Cassandra, all that you are seeing is illusion. Remember that always and find your way back to us_ he said through the Force. While he sent out his message, he sensed Rose coming as he expected would happen if anything befell Cassandra. "Is she alright?" begged the young Nautolan.

"I don't know, Rose. This is a ceremony whose power is beyond anything that I have the strength to heal someone from," he admitted. "Impossible! You're the one who can fix us up from anything and you're saying you can't heal her!?" Rose screamed.

"No, I cannot heal her from this but I can guide her via telepathy even if I doubt I'll be able to do even that for very long. The wielder of the ritual she's under is a very powerful woman who may cut me off from my ability to communicate with her in the Force," he confessed calmly. "Can I try it when your connection is gone?" she offered.

"Though I'm not sure how much success you'd have but you're welcome to do so once I have no capacity to speak with her," he said, nodding. _No matter my power, Rose may be key to Cassandra escaping the effects of this ceremony_ he thought grimly. Or at least, he hoped it was so.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

Cassandra was so busy helping Starkiller defeat the stormtroopers and get to the Emperor that when Ken's telepathic message came through, it almost hurt. However, she listened to his words and came back to her senses: there was no way this was really happening. But even so, she'd still have to play along until she could find the Fosh woman again and escape this trap. _Let's finish helping Starkiller get to the Emperor and then I've got to focus on the Fosh_ she thought.

"Starkiller, what are you sensing as far as our proximity to the Emperor?" she asked. "He's not too far from what I gather but Juno can confirm that for me, now," he answered. As promised, Juno Eclipse's voice blasted into Starkiller's comlink and confirmed his senses. "Help me defeat this last batch then we'll have no opposition until we reach the Emperor and Vader," he added.

Cassandra nodded, knowing this was an illusion but going not with her instincts but on her ability to sense true life through the Force. She sensed Vergere's presence although she did this very faintly. As she finished the stormtroopers that still opposed her and Starkiller before deciding to seek out the presence. However, she was surprised to soon see Starkiller fighting and defeating Lord Vader, a duel that seemed to last forever but actually lasted nearly a dozen minutes.

When he was defeated, the Emperor (deformed and entrenched in a black robe and hood with draping sleeves) came forth and tempted Starkiller with an offer. Kill Vader and become the next apprentice, taking his "rightful place" at the Emperor's side. "No Starkiller, think to your past, think to your future! Wouldn't Juno think ill of you seeking revenge!?" Cassandra said.

As she spoke, Rahm Kota (Starkiller's informal Jedi Master) attempted to stop Sidious by stealing his lightsaber though the Dark Lord of the Sith pinned him down with Force Lightning. "Starkiller, save Kota and the others! I... I will deal with Vader if you want him dead so badly," Cassandra promised as Starkiller struggled to make a choice. He half-smiled to her and thanked her for agreeing to that before charging at the Emperor.

When Cassandra leapt down to stop Vader from calling for help, she ignited her lightsaber and challenged him. However, rather than fight, Vader became engulfed in a light purple fire that burned his entire being for several seconds. When the fire died, the form of the Fosh was revealed and the only trace of Vader that remained was his lightsaber in the Vergere's hand. "What a wise choice, Cassandra!" the Fosh remarked.

The environment around them shifted to the aftermath of the explosion caused by Starkiller's absorption of the Emperor's Sith Lightning and the energy gathered between them. Rahm Kota had just finished escorting the Senators and was killing off the last of any opposition before noticing Cassandra and Vergere about to duel. "Kota, if you don't help me out, Vergere here will kill the Senators as well," Cassandra said immediately. Before Vergere could say anything, Cassandra cut the cuffs holding his hands down with her blade as a sign of sincerity.

Igniting the saber he stole from the Emperor, Kota thanked her and joined her in the fight despite her taking the lead. Giving into the full depth of her Vaapad skills, Cassandra started out with a series of hacks and slashes as well as some spins and twirls for additional surprise. Kota followed up with more traditional Djem So tactic although his age made his blows less powerful. Vergere kept up a steady display of Soresu for defense, Makashi-style slashes, and Ataru acrobatics with traces of Juyo's spins and twirls for added excitement.

At one point, Kota attempted to use a Force Push on Vergere but she also attempted one with both being powerful enough to throw them both down to the durasteel floor for a moment. Kota was the first to get back up even as Cassandra charged Vergere, who managed to recover her blade in time to deflect an overhead strike whilst still on the ground. Around them, the environment changed again though this time, it was within the walls of an abandoned Massassi Sith Temple. Kota didn't seem to notice which was proof to Cassandra that he was only another illusion in this ritual.

_This looks like the temple I stayed at on Yavin 4, only thicker with the power of the Dark Side. I wonder if Luke's temple is similar in terms of such a strong presence_ she thought. It was after thinking this that she saw Vergere do something surprising. She became a non-solid piece of matter and fell right through the floor before teleporting behind Kota in a blaze of purple flame.

Not only that but she also did so in an upright position just before Kota turned around to face her even if his next move sealed his fate. He tried to strike down vertically, allowing her an opportunity to twirl her blade so that it severed his arms at the gauntlets. When that happened, his borrowed lightsaber flew from him and into her spare hand to help her form an X at his neck. In a single, scissor-like motion, she decapitated him and mocked Cassandra for her failure.

"You will be brought to justice for what you've done, I'll tell you that now," Cassandra said. "There is no justice, there is only revenge. Come now and face your fate," Vergere said, moving both the blades she possessed into an attack position. Cassandra was tempted to do so but then she decided to find a different way: enrage Vergere and force her to attack first.

Remembering that Vergere was another of Palpatine's secret apprentices (according to a file Luke obtained which indicated she was a failed one at that), she went on the offensive. "Tell me something Vergere, did Sidious reject you because you proved too weak? Were your methods so disappointing that he simply had no choice but to boot you off his education train?" she asked. Vergere sneered which indicated that Cassandra had hit a nerve and was close to setting off the Fosh woman's inner time bomb.

"Or did he think of your methods as not only being weak but also unrefined, amateurish, even sloppy? C'mon Vergere, you have to remember that Count Dooku was so much better and he was one of Sidious' _real_ apprentices!" she added. Vergere shrieked in rage and launched an aggressive attack that Cassandra rightly anticipated as being clumsy and random. She defended against those strokes that saw Vergere spinning her entire body around, trying to get a good blow.

Then, when she finished spinning, Cassandra stuck with several strong slashes that made short work of any real defenses that Vergere could muster with two blades which was very weak. It was a problem that all Jar'Kai experts were familiar with: there was only so much strength and power you could apply with a blade in each hand, making it risky to face strong traditional blows. Cassandra even used these strikes to keep her distracted long enough for her to kick the elder woman up the chin and use a Force repulse when she leapt into the air and flipped 360 degrees. The strikes were powerful enough to throw Vergere off even if she was back at it with swooping arcs conducted with both blades and in the same direction.

However, Cassandra soon passed these yet again and managed to score a good strike when she destroyed the lightsaber that belonged to Lord Vader. When she succeeded in that, she swept her blade overhead and did a downward strike before Vergere could muster an offense. Instead, Vergere simply rose her blade horizontally to catch the strike and hold them at a crossing of blades. In that moment, however, Cassandra realized what she needed to do and how she could do it: in one singular moment, Cassandra placed herself in the balance between the Light and the Dark.

She drew on the power of both Force Valor and Force Rage at the same time, triggering changes in the environment around them that suggested the collapse of the ritual. Now, she had the clarity of the Jedi and the anger-fueled strength of the Sith to carry her through at the same time. She conducted several overhead slashes with the full strength and aggression of Djem So in order to keep Vergere on the defensive and even power on through said defenses. Vergere did indeed get lucky when she managed to push Cassandra off but her luck ran out after that.

The reason for this was because Cassandra used the momentum of the push to swing her blade horizontally and land the blade so that it went through Vergere's waist. Her purple blade's tip barely stuck out the other side as she conducted this slash and won the duel completely. Initially, nothing except a gasp of surprise came out of Vergere but when she realized what had happened, she tilted back and began the fall into what would've normally been her demise. Instead, however, a bright white light overcame Cassandra when Vergere split in two and lasted for several minutes.

Then, when it passed, she knew she had triumphed but was greeted not with awakening from the ritual but with the darkness characteristic of falling into a coma. _Did I really exert that much power during Vergere's attempt to use this spell on me?_ she asked herself silently. No matter how it happened, Cassandra simply embraced it and allowed herself to fall into it. After what she had done recently, she felt she needed this much even if only for a little while.

**When Edward saw Vergere** raise her face from the bowl, she looked to him as though her eyes were about to pop out of their sockets even as she revealed a splitting headache. She even trusted him with knowledge that such a powerful conduction of the ceremony nauseated her. "But is she out of the picture?" he demanded, wasting no time with what he wanted. "She is but we'll still need to deal with her old Master: Ken tried interfering with my ceremony," she said.

"I think I know how you could do that: you had dealings with Mother Talzin before she died, did you not?" he asked. "Yes, she provided with many a tool for my purposes though I've been so unfortunate as not to use most of them," she admitted. "Could there be something of Ken's that she gave you to use at a later time?" he continued. "Not likely but she did teach me some of the arts of the Nightsisters if you want me to use one of them on him when I recover," she replied.

"Such as?" he inquired. "Well, the usage of voodoo is out of the question since I don't have anything of his to make a voodoo doll from. However, I could send in a warrior whose midichlorians I could use like nanotechnological bombs implanted in a person's blood. Something of that nature could injure or weaken Ken even if it doesn't kill him," she suggested.

"What's something that could put him out of the way during the war that is to come? Something that would all but incapacitate him even if he does sometimes come close to dying?" he insisted. "I do believe I could create a plague in the same fashion as the bomb which would make him violently ill for several months," she offered. "Getting somewhere but I do believe you will be needing a little better than that," he said.

"You've got a better idea?" she asked. "Actually yes: I trained under him briefly and formed a less powerful bond with him than I did with Cassandra. Perhaps, I could make another blood donation and you could create a voodoo doll to affect him from that," he answered. "If I wanted to create a doll from your blood, it'd have to be for you and not him," she told him.

"That does limit our options. But he is very philanthropic and will help out any people that are attacked. I actually have an idea to use that to destroy him: what do you have amongst your people that could really immobilize him?" he asked. "Hm... we do have spores of various potencies, one of which would make him incapacitatingly ill but wouldn't kill him.

"Something of those lines might be what you wish for," she answered. "Then we simply have a commanding officer of your army send a fleet to a system he's familiar with. Upon hearing the news of an attack, he will arrive on an impulse only to be shot with a dose of that spore. He'll become so ill that he will be out of the war effort until the tide of the war is fixed," he stated.

"Then let's waste no time: Nom Anor and Onimi are beginning to disperse the fleets under the orders of Overlord Shimrra and it won't be long before I no longer have influence. Onimi has been getting bolder as we've slowly etched our way into this part of the galaxy," she replied. Smiling, Edward was glad he was able to count on her with Cassandra and enthusiastic to see the results with Ken. Even though he wondered who these Onimi and Nom Anor people were, he didn't care: he'd soon be leading a fleet to Coruscant and knowing them would be irrelevant.

_Once Ken is taken care of, the Yuuzhan Vong can have at the rest of the Jedi Order while I dispense with Rose. It's time I settled my score with her once and for all even if I don't feel the need to make as much planning for her downfall as I did Cassandra's and Ken's. The bitch doesn't even deserve the same respect anyway_ he thought quietly. If there was anything he had learned from watching the holovids of Triclops in action, it was the true meaning of "honor".

**Triclops was somewhat delighted** when he told Achilles and Hemera about what he had uncovered at Kamino. Their reactions were as fitting as he anticipated them being, in other words, they were surprised to say the least. Achilles even asked him why in the universe he'd throw in his lot with a people supposedly capable of doing the work he was going to set out to do. "Because I do not trust them to keep their end of the bargain they've offered me.

"Besides, their resources are not so infinite as to be severely affected by the war with both the New Republic and the Imperial Remnant. This would be especially true if both organizations combined and began recruiting all the advanced war races of the galaxy to help them. If they are victorious, they will likely be so weak that we can finish them off ourselves," Triclops said. "Then what?" Achilles demanded.

"Once we've done that, we will conquer the survivors of the war and rule them with an iron fist. Upon completion of said conquest, I will trust you two to act as co-regents while I complete my search for the mask of Darth Nihilus. The death and destruction caused by the war that is to come will trigger the mask to react to any telepathic call I make," Triclops replied. "Even when all that is done, you're still going to look for the mask?" Hemera inquired.

"Of course, what good can one galaxy be when I can have the power to wipe out all that remains of the Yuuzhan Vong and rule the entire universe? This galaxy serves only as a base for the beginning of that rule which will allow me to shape all life in my desired image. Not only that but I could even control the threads of time and fate with the ease of the Chronicler himself. I am not as shortsighted as the two of you nor as limited in resources as my father," Triclops explained.

"But Triclops, no one has ever succeeded in conquering the entire universe and perhaps that's for a good reason. Even with the powers of the mask, how the hell could you possibly control all the possible life forms that could exist across the cosmos?" Hemera continued. Laughing, Triclops had to admit that she had gall to be questioning him at every turn. "The power of the mask could allow me to bring all the universe back together.

"Once that's done, I would trigger the Big Bang phenomena all over again which is a process that would destroy _all_ life in the universe. What I create with my remaining power in the aftermath will be mine to control and rulership will come easy," Triclops retorted. If Achilles had a face as biological as Hemera's, it would have gone just as pale white in fright as she did. "Yes, now you know the full depth of my ambitions even if now, you can do nothing to stop me.

"There is only what is to come and you two shall serve your purpose until I find the mask!" Triclops hissed. Then, feeling there was nothing more to be said, he marched off to continue another arrangement in his ultimate goal. This left the two of them alone to make their own discussion about what was to be done. "He's gone insane: he's talking about using the threads of time to kill everyone who's alive, obliterate those who were, and those who will be!

"If what he says about the power of the mask is true, we will need to stop him before he can find it!" Hemera exclaimed. "My thoughts exactly but how do you stop a man with his intelligence, insane or no? For all we know, he might have programmed us with these desires and developed contingencies that would stop us from going through with our plans," Achilles asked.

Hemera hesitated, admitting that this was indeed a problem that would have to be overcome before they could engage Triclops. Given that Achilles was almost all machine, he'd have no spontaneity and thus, was wise to rely on her for this. Then it occurred to her that both she and Achilles had accessible ports to work on their programmer chips in an emergency. "I have an idea: perhaps, I could open your programmer port to find the contingency codes then delete them.

"Once I completed my take on it, you would do the same for me. Granted, the one being worked on would have to be shut down whether that's me or you. But if we eradicate any and all contingencies that he might have developed, it will be worth the shutdown risks," she offered. "Your ideas are dangerous and disturbing: for all you know, he might have a contingency for even that.

"What if you were to go into my programmer with the intent of eliminating the contingency codes, only to end up triggering on that wipes my entire mind out?" he inquired. Again, Hemera hesitated since she knew that that was also a possible problem they could be facing. But her ability to answer this question came more naturally than it had in her previous hesitation. "That's a chance we may have to take if we're to have any hope of taking him down.

"Even with all his genius, he can't possibly have anticipated every possible scenario for treason that we could come up with. The human mind is just too limited for that to be possible with what we have in our database," she said. "But you are more human than I am: how could you sustain all your information?" he countered. "Simple, I have the database in my brain but I can access separate parts of it at any time: it allows me to process what I need more safely," she said.

He deduced that because he had almost no biological tissue in his brain, it was unlikely he would need the same protocol. Nonetheless, his capacity to feel emotion (even with the lack of tissue noted) was a capacity that impressed Hemera. He likely inherited it from General Grievous and N-K Necrosis but even so, Hemera couldn't help but be impressed. "When do we begin the procedure?" Achilles asked.

"Likely when he's left to continue searching for the mask, this way we don't risk him detecting us. Everyone else here is subordinate to us and can be ordered to leave us alone while we do it," Hemera answered. "Good call," she told him. "Thank you," he replied.

Hemera offered to join him in the sparring chambers for a match but Achilles remembered that he still had a lot of work to do and turned it down. "However, I would like to see what you could do against me, should we be forced to battle each other at some point. Might save our lives in the larger scheme of things," he said. She nodded and thanked him for his time before dismissing herself to proceed to other things.

Unbeknownst to them, however, they had been right about Triclops being unable to anticipate everything but he didn't need to. He had surveillance installed in almost every room except the excrementation rooms in the temple. They had just carelessly revealed their intentions for security holograms to show whenever Triclops looked them over. Unless they were somehow wiped, Triclops still stood a chance of anticipating and destroying them.

The way of the Sith invited treachery from all of its members but it also invited paranoia from those who suspected a coup being planned against them. It was something that kept Lord Sidious alive as apprentice to Plagueis and continued doing so after he succeeded him. He even went as far as to pass this paranoia down to his son who now took it to these levels for his sake. Yes, the Palpatines were powerful but they were omniscient which was something Triclops had to learn long ago.

And as he looked at the latest holograms that revealed the plot of his two cyborgs, he couldn't help but laugh. They would think he'd be taken by surprise when they made their move yet would soon realize they wouldn't even succeed in that regard. Both were doomed to fail him.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

Though Ken knew Cassandra wasn't going to return from being unconscious any time soon, he was pleased to sense the Dark powers unveiling as she emerged victorious. _She must be weary from whatever she overcame for this to happen_ he thought. "Is she alright?" Rose asked. Ken nodded and added that she wouldn't be reviving any time soon even with that said.

"You sure that there's no way you can revive her?" Rose continued. "I could try but even if I succeeded, who knows what the effects would be. Far better to let her come to by herself and make a full recovery than force her out and have her be completely amnesiac," Ken replied. He caressed a couple fingers across her hands and simply watched her, sensing her recovery.

"You love her, don't you?" Rose inquired. "As any true father would love his little child. And I suspect you do too: doesn't take being a Nautolan to know something bothers you about this," Ken admitted. "She's my friend, how in the universe could I not?" Rose said.

"I think there's a little more to it than that. I may be overthinking it as my autism tends to make me do but there's a reason I had a wife and kids before my ancestors were revealed to her. Besides, your feelings are safe with me: I knew a guy who had that same thing for me even though I was forced to break his heart," Ken countered. "Then I admit: I'm lesbo for Cassandra, have been for a long time now," she said after moments of hesitation. "Cassandra won't ever realize it until she learns a little more about social cues unless you let her see it through telepathy.

"She might not return your affections but you've been a good friend to her since she came here. Believe it or not, I actually hope she returns does share your love: it means one less worry when it comes to her for me," he explained. "What do you mean?" she asked. "More than once I've taken peeks into her mind with telepathy and she's been feeling lonely.

"She likes the idea of falling in love but at the same time, she's afraid of being left back at square one if her heart is broken by whoever she falls in love with. And on more than one occasion, she expressed interest unto me of having a family someday," he answered. Rose didn't need further explanation: Cassandra was a very lonely soul when neither of them were around. Several times, Rose had been told of how a boy tried putting some moves on Cassandra only for her to rebuff him out of fear.

There were also a couple instances where she liked a boy but ended up being to scared and shy to admit it to him directly. She even had to write a note and have a mutual friend of hers and Rose's send it over to the boy in question only to be refused except on two occasions. But unfortunately, the boys who didn't soon died on missions with their Jedi Masters. All of this added up to only encourage her isolation, rather than break it and it was something that bothered Rose.

Apparently, it also bothered Ken since they both knew how it felt to see her so alone. But was Cassandra really alone or was there some spirit that guided her through this life? Had her mother learned the same ability to cheat death that Kenobi, Vader, and Yoda had learned? Or had the Mortis Triam cursed her soul so that she'd never rest until her daughter found peace?

"Rose, do you know if we have a book on ancient spells, curses, and rituals like that in the Archives?" Ken asked. "I do believe we have a section on incantations, spoken by more ancient Force users and groups like the Nightsisters. Why do you ask for that of all sections?" Rose replied. "I think I know a way that I could bring her back from this, a method that rumor says was used to awaken Depa Billaba in the Clone Wars," Ken said.

"What spell would that be?" Rose asked. "It's a spell that, if it didn't completely remove the veil of unconsciousness, it did wonders to reduce it. On top of that, a similar spell was used on Darth Maul to heal his mind from the ravages of the Dark Side, so legend goes," Ken answered. "I'll see if Leia has anything in the library on what you're looking for," Rose said before walking off to find what Ken was looking for.

In the meantime, he asked himself what would happen if this didn't work. Was there something else or was the will of the Force itself keeping her down? There was only one way to find out and that was to take a risk that Ken had never taken in many years. When he was in his late teen years, as he recalled, he had drawn on his inner Dark Side greater than ever before.

When he did so, it was to save his then-future wife and her parents from certain demise when a clone of the Zillo Beast (awakened by his father) terrorized their world. Because the armor of the beast ensured that lightsabers and blasters did nothing, the people turned to Ken for help. Rather than telling them that he couldn't and persuading them to flee, he stood his ground and gave so deeply into his rage and hate that he was able to manipulate the weather of the entire planet. Catching the beast in an massively-charged electrical rainstorm, using rain with the melting property of acid to weaken its armor and using lightning bolts like javelins to pierce it.

The beast died but Ken had delved into the darkness within him that people even said he temporarily transformed into a physical carbon copy of his grandfather down to his fiery eyes. Upon being told this, and having several people confirm it, Ken vowed to never again do that unless the galaxy was at stake. As if that wasn't bad enough, there had been two Zillo beasts at that same time so when he weakened the first, he took control of its mind and used it to kill the second. The scheme only worked as beautifully as it did because the beasts were already standing near a massive, caved-in volcano when they started fighting and fell down it into the lava before long.

Ken lied in a healing trance for ten months after that and when he reemerged, he still had the yellow irises of the Sith for another three months and retained the pale skin for a week. Kendalina even told him about how he had his grandfather's wrinkles across his face for half the time he was comatose. Though he had vowed never to do that again, marrying his wife in the following year, he wondered if there would ever be a need. Now that Cassandra lied here before him, he had the feeling he just might have to break his vow.

_It doesn't matter what happens to me so long as she is able to rise again and defend the galaxy in the name of the Order. If I die and she is revived, that is good enough for me_ he told himself silently. He didn't know why he had such a compassionate, fatherly attachment to Cassandra. Perhaps, it was because a father had been absent for all her life just as he had never known who his father was until he was twelve years old.

Or maybe it was because she didn't know her father because he resisted the Empire only to perish for it while Arden was pregnant with Cassandra. No matter who he was, he severely doubted she was a daughter of Triclops since he had never been that much of a pig. Triclops had always regarded the idea of having children out of wedlock a disgusting waste of time and money. He had even gone as far as to begin calling himself one such child simply because his father hadn't married his mother but instead, sired him as part of an experimentation in cloning technology.

Upon the first time the accusation was made, his father had nearly exploded but had let go when he realized his son was right. Now, Ken carried the dark legacy of both father and grandfather upon his shoulders. But unlike his ancestors, he had an opportunity to use the dark power within him for good rather than evil. Cassandra's revival, however, was all that mattered to him with even his vow to never give into the darkness again being thrown out the window.

**Kendalina spent her days** meditating whenever she wasn't recovering her skills with a lightsaber and the powers of the Force. So when a vision of a being in robes likened to Lord Nihilus, she was initially baffled by what it could mean. Then she recalled Triclops' obsession with the power of Lord Nihilus from the days of the Old Republic. But how is he alive?

_Ken not only severed his arms but sliced him in half!_ she exclaimed to herself silently. That was when another reminder hit her: Darth Maul had survived being sliced in half as well. If he could do that and be less powerful than Palpatine, Triclops could do that and be more powerful. However, Kendalina wasn't sure whether to tell her son that his father was still alive or to take action herself.

If she told him, he'd scour the galaxy looking for the man until he struck him down for good. But if she were to go after Triclops herself, Ken would be scouring the galaxy looking for her if he didn't catch her trying to leave Coruscant (where they'd been transferred) first. Besides, she had a score of her own to settle with Triclops and didn't want her son in the way. Just one problem: how to get out without him ever finding out she was gone until she was lightyears away.

Then it occurred to her that there were NR transports coming in and out of Coruscant all the time, any one of which she could use to get where she needed to go. Sensing that he was presently traveling through NR space (likely to find the mask), she stole a few credits from on Ken's desk. Then she left a note, saying she needed them for transportation to find Triclops and explained why he couldn't come with her nor try to find her once she was gone. She even explained how it was that by Triclops' hand, her mother and two brothers had perished.

Granted, she ignored to tell him details like her brother standing up to him, saber in their hands as they met their doom nor how he mutilated her mother afterward. _No Kendalina, this isn't the way_ said a voice that was initially unfamiliar. "Who's there?" Kendalina asked. _Do you not recognize the voice of the man who fathered your brother, Vergent?_ the voice answered.

"Qui-Gon," Kendalina said, thinking aloud. _Aye, it is me_ Qui-Gon confessed. "If this is not the way then what am I supposed to do?" Kendalina asked. _Come to Dagobah, the answers you seek are there_ Qui-Gon replied.

"You're going to teach me how to become a Force Spirit, aren't you?" she guessed. _Your instincts serve you well: if you love your son as greatly as you profess, you will heed my words. Come to Dagobah and begin your training as an adept of the art of transcending death_ Qui-Gon said. "But Ken will soon need me no more, in fact, I'm beginning to need him more and more. What makes you think any different?" she inquired.

_Like you, Ken has a good heart in his chest and means well in all that he does. However, like his father, he bears the mark of his grandfather's darkness. It is a mark that may one day destroy him unless you're there to guide him even after you are long dead_ he explained. "But let's say I succeed and he rebuffs my advice: what then would be my purpose?" she countered.

_Then you must redirect your efforts on the one called Cassandra Lyn. She is young and strong-willed like him but she yearns for freedom from the curse that haunts her family_ he said. "A curse haunts her?" she asked. _The Ashes of Despair, a Kashi Mer curse, has never lost its dominion over them even with the destruction of the Talisman_ he answered.

Kendalina had heard of the Ashes of Despair but had never believed it to be something that actually existed. But now that Qui-Gon mentioned it, Kendalina did feel bad about the possibility of leaving Cassandra behind if she were to die at Triclops' hand. Indeed, the girl proved to be just as much a member of Kendalina's family as her own son was, making this difficult. "So now, it's up to me to be her guide if Ken should fall," Kendalina said glumly.

_Unfortunately, the rulers of the netherworld foresee a time where it will be necessary for you to guide her_ Qui-Gon replied. Kendalina let her head weigh down on her in sadness but she decided maybe it was for the best. "You once guided Yoda to Dagobah even though you did so by the powers of suggestion. Why is it that you guide me so easily?" Kendalina asked.

_Because Vergent was my son and your half-brother, the connection is easier to establish between us then it had been with Yoda. And now, I beg you to go to Dagobah and begin the path to knowing how to transcend death_ Qui-Gon explained. "Then I shall, Qui-Gon Jinn, I shall," Kendalina said. She asked if Yoda would be there to guide her when she arrived to Dagobah but Qui-Gon simply told her he wouldn't be.

_His purpose had been to make sure that Luke Skywalker built the new Jedi Order as was Kenobi's. My purpose has been to reside in the physical galaxy until the Prophecy of a child who swings in the balance of the Force itself is fulfilled_ he added. "I've heard of that... do you think Cassandra might be the child?" Kendalina continued. Only the will of the Force will tell us he replied.

"Very well: I go to Dagobah to learn the secret that few have ever learned, the secret of transcending death as a Spirit. And when I come back will be up to the will of the Force as well," she said, thinking aloud. She hobbled on her cane (which she was needing, less and less) to a nearby transport and asked the pilot if he could take her as close to Dagobah as possible. "I can take you to the nearby moon but you'd have to use one of my emergency pods to get there.

"You really want to go there?" he asked. "If I didn't, I wouldn't be asking if that were at all possible," she answered. "Then hop aboard and I will take you there," he said. Within the next few minutes or so, the transport was taking off and soon, she felt the pressure that symbolized lightspeed.

**Triclops was glad to see** that he arrived just in time to warn his forces of the arrival of the Yuuzhan Vong through his territories. However, he was admittedly surprised when he saw them actually land their ships on Dromund Kaas though Nom Anor explained this was with good reason. "Though we have made many improvements to our biomechanical technologies, our ships are like any other organisms in that they need their rest and repairs as well," he told the mutant. _Interesting, I think I will desire further inquiries into the technology of these people in the near future_ Triclops thought.

"Do as you wish, just do not do anything that would cause needless tension amongst my armies. They're already very reserved about you being here without prior notice as it is," he said aloud. "Of course, my forces will never attack them unless yours attack first," Nom promised. If Achilles could, he would have given Nom a sneer though Hemera had a skeptical look too.

The two of them waited until they were alone to begin discussing the overthrow of Triclops yet again. "Now he has truly gone mad, he's allowed these things from outside the bounds of even the Unknown Regions to come through our territory and he won't tell us why. He's even letting them stay on our very doorstep until they have finished waging their war on the galaxy!  
"By the time they're done, there might not be anything for us left to fight except more of those things," Achilles said. "Mad as he is, maybe that's what he has in mind," Hemera suggested. "You're not serious!?" Achilles said in a voice that for once, was in an emotion that indicated something other than battle mode or his usual calm: he was actually afraid. "I am: he'll do anything to get that mask and if it means letting these monsters destroy the galaxy, he'll do it.

"He believes the mask is summoned by mass death and destruction across the stars, even by the grief and fear of those who survive. If what he says is true, then we're looking at a period of war so awesome that it promises to awaken the mask and lure him to it," she explained. "Even so, that army will leave a fleet here if they know what's good for them. They cannot risk losing the war (however much bloodshed they may bring) without a fallback position of some kind," he said.

"Are you suggesting that we have the power to hit them where it really hurts?" she asked. "If they look like they're losing the war that promises to come, Triclops may even give us the orders to engage them. Assuming these things are like any other sentients in this galaxy, they'll become so desperate for ground when they're losing that they'll break their truce with us," he replied. "So our first war might not be with the Jedi as we were told it would be but what we're given in substitution will be just as glorious," she agreed.

"For now, we play his little game and if these creatures start losing ground, we will lend our blades to destroying them. But once they're out of the way or if they seem to be emerging victorious on top of double-crossing us, we make our move against him. We cannot allow his obsession with the mask to mean the downfall of us all," he told her. "There really isn't anything we can do except play his game, is there?" she asked rhetorically.

Achilles shook his head no, even confessing he came up with various scenarios for what could happen if they didn't ride with the current. In each and every one of the sixty-two he had played, he and Hemera would lose badly against Triclops. In all but two of them, the two even lost their lives in the battle against him. "And the two are in concern to him still having a purpose for us in his plan to get the mask and rip the fabric of time and space to shreds," Hemera guessed.

"In this empire, we are headed by a Sith who lives in accordance to the doctrines of his order. If we are to stand a chance of surviving his obsessions, we must do the same but do so in the cunning of his forebears. Remember what he programmed into our minds about Lord Plagueis' change of strategy from what Lord Bane had decreed, a millennium before," he reminded her. "Bane believed it would be solely strength and power, accumulated across the centuries, that would destroy the Jedi.

"While that did lead way for Triclops' father becoming like a God (if the Sith were ever to have had one), it wasn't everything. The brain is a vital part of any plan to topple a greater power than yourself as much as gathering the muscle is," she said. "But Triclops has both the strength accumulated across the centuries and the magnificent brain his father bore in his skull. Fighting against that will be difficult, if not downright impossible, unless we outsmart him," he added.

"And the only way to do that is to do things with the tools we have that he might not have expected us to do. Offset his base of knowledge that he relies on when he's interacting with us," she said. "Are you suggesting we try to rewrite our programming so that he has no dominion over us?" he inquired. "No but if that helps then maybe we should do that," she replied.

"You want to go first or should I?" he offered. "You are the less biological of the two of us, you have only your heart, lungs, brain, and eyes. As such, perhaps you make the best candidate since you are a machine except for the aforementioned differences," she explained. "Do you mean to imply that my lack of biology may give you an idea of what you might be in for?" he continued.

"Unfortunately, yes and it might be the only chance that we both have," she stated glumly. "Maybe we should get it started soon: better to have the information now and not need it than need it now and now have it," he insisted. "We don't have to do this quite yet, Achilles. Besides, he may get suspicious if you were to permanently shut down," she warned.

"You have a good point, my dear. For now, we will have to play his game and when it is nearing his end, let's remember to try this," he replied. Hemera shrugged and decided to ask him if he had any duties to attend to. "I've only the standard military pleasantries that come with the arrival of a foreign fleet.

"Making sure that everyone is 'properly' adjusting to the new situation. It is an easy yet tedious business," he told her. "I think I will see if I can help in that, actually. Might give me a nice change of pace from my usual duties," she offered.

"If Triclops will let you do that, that actually might not be a bad idea," he admitted. She chuckled, recalling that Triclops never let her do anything other than escorting him and officials. He said it was so that there could be some peace established between Triclops and the officials of the different crime families but she didn't believe it. Every time she stood near them both, the thermal readings on both would indicate escalating feuds between them all. If Achilles and Hemera didn't succeed in their treason, they could take comfort knowing he'd fall anyway.

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry it took me so incredibly long to get a new chapter up. Combination of summer job, home concerns, things like that conspired against me. Anyway, I will be having only another two weeks left at my job before I quit and I will be especially sure to do everything in my power to deliver a treasure trove of new content. In the meantime, thanks for your patience!**


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

Edward had to confess that for being partly alive, the ships of the Yuuzhan Vong were incredibly fast. In fact, he was fairly sure that at this pace, it wouldn't be long before his force arrived to Coruscant with Nom Anor nearby. Soon, he would exact his vengeance upon the Jedi and especially against bratty old Rose. Smiling, he was pleased to see that his memory was being used appropriately (his mind connected to a worldship) for the sake of the attack.

"Master Chun, we will be arriving to your planet within the next few minutes or so. The worldship can see it from here so you may disconnect if you wish," said a Yuuzhan Vong general. Edward decided he would do just that and told the general that they were to do as much as possible before confronting the Jedi to damage Coruscant. "We will need swift attacks meant to divide the Order and spread it thinly across the surface of the planet.

"Members of the Order will be carrying these in their hands," Edward added. As he spoke, he procured his lightsaber and ignited the blade so that the general understood. "Am I to suspect that red will not be the only color we will see?" the general asked. Edward nodded and told them to be especially wary of any who were in the company of commanding officers in the armies.

"Jedi such as Luke Skywalker and his sister Leia will be ones you will want to kill quickly if you can," he added. "So be it, Master Chun," the general replied. "Just call me, Edward," Edward said. _Arriving to Coruscant within the next few minutes?_

_Damn, these things are fast!_ he exclaimed to himself as he disconnected his mind from the worldship. Readying his lightsaber and making sure his blaster pistols were loaded, Edward soon saw Coruscant before him and had to admit he was thrilled. When he vowed to return with a vengeance, the Jedi would know that he hadn't been kidding around about that much. And as the first waves began their descent into the atmosphere, Edward could bear it no longer.

He ordered for a transport down to the planet so that he could watch the battle himself. Unbeknownst to him, however, Vergere was making sure to deal with the Jedi Swordmaster Ken by herself. "Destroy the entire surface of the planet! Leave no trace of the old Coruscant behind as you build a new world here!" Edward exclaimed as the battle began.

**Rose had brought Ken** the books of incantations that she could find and when Ken found what he needed, he asked her to return the rest. However, he never got the chance to use any of his incantations: just as he was about to begin, the building was rocked by explosions outside. Looking at the only window in the room, he noticed ships of a design he hadn't seen before shooting green bolts that rocked buildings that weren't deconstructed in the initial impact. _Kriffing hell, we have to begin the evacuations immediately!_ Ken thought.

He knew there was only one place to go, that place being back to Yavin 4 and with that said, he asked Rose to stall whatever was out there as long as she could. "I will lead the evacuation of our patients, myself!" he added. "All military personnel, Coruscant is under attack: to arms, to arms!" he heard a woman say on a PA system. "Attention medics, gather all your personnel and help me evacuate the patients at once!" Ken ordered.

The medics and their droids partners nodded in understanding and began preparing the beds for levitation into transports that'd allow them to escape. Ken also made it clear that comatose or otherwise-incapacitated patients were to be first, regardless of their status in the NR. "Those that can walk, whether or not with aid, must be made to do so unless doing so means death!" he added. "Yessir!" replied the medics immediately surrounding him as they passed the word to those that were further away.

Igniting the blade of his lightsaber lance, Ken made sure to be ready to defend the staff and the evacuating patients against any enemy warrior that landed in the facility. This was especially necessary after a hole, big enough for infantry to drop in, was made in the facility's ceiling. _Whatever they are, they'll never be allowed to harm Cassandra or anyone in here unless I die first: that is not _my_ will_ he vowed to himself silently. When the first of the foreign warriors landed in, he decided to use Force Lightning against them but was surprised to see them regenerate from it.

Most beings were writhing in pain by the time he had finished unleashing that power upon them and these were creatures that were affected but could heal quickly. So it was upon realizing this that he unleashed more Lightning and didn't relent. He even used the Force to pull several of their grappling lines into his hand and send the Lightning up those as they came swinging down. "Now you will know why I am called the Eternal Black Fire, the Death that claims you in the day or in the night!

"Come forth and claim only your doom!" he exclaimed as he gave into his Rage, allowing his inner Darkness to give him all the strength he needed to protect those in need of his protection. As he did so, his Lightning started out blue like most other users but gradually took on a purple hinge like his grandfather's. The most startling thing, for those that witnessed the changes was how when he spoke, he spoke not with his regular voice but with a voice belonging only to Palpatine. Those amongst the witnesses that had even keener hearing shuddered when they heard the voice of The Emperor and their beloved Jedi Swordmaster speaking simultaneously.

"There is no life in the Eternal Blackness, only death for those who enter! Abandon all hope ye who dare defy my might!" Ken said when he completed his transformation. But as he continued to hammer on bolt after bolt of purple Lightning, he sensed something. He sensed their ship dying above him as though it was somehow alive which triggered awe and surprise.

Though he had heard of biomechanical technology, its benefits and costs, as well as of the races that once wielded it, he had never before seen it used. This realization was enough to make his Rage begin to subside, something that didn't sit well with what he had become. "No Ken, there shall be no escape for you now! You have drawn on more of my power than you should ever have and now it is through you that I shall make my return!" Palpatine said.

"No, the eternal madness is where you belong! You deserve to remain under the tortures of those who guard the netherworld of the Force, your spirit torn apart time and again through all eternity!" Ken replied. "Foolish child, how do you know if I deserve this fate when I was dead before you even knew our relationship?" Palpatine asked. "I need only to look at what you did to my father and to the galaxy to know I hate you!" Ken answered.

"Good Ken, good. Use that hatred to destroy me," Palpatine mocked. "No, I am a Jedi like my mother before me and I cast you back into the chasm from whence you came!" Ken yelled. Palpatine made a final cry of agony as his soul was sent back to its place in the netherworld but now everyone knew why Ken feared drawing on his own gift in the Force. Thanks to his kinship with the Emperor, he had found a way to harness his soul for greater strength over all life.

"That was weird yet amazing at the same time!" said one of the younger medics. "Have the patients been evacuated?" Ken asked, not wanting to dwell on what he had done for now. "Yes, all the comatose or incapacitated patients have been evacuated. We need only to get the ones with more capability to move out on top of all our gear and they can do whatever they want to this place," replied the medic.

"Good... how long was I in the trance?" Ken continued. "Long enough to bring down their ship and send it into the streets of Coruscant. There shouldn't be another bothering us for sometime, if that display has a high fear factor attached," said another medic. "It usually does but this has been an unusual batch of enemies: hopefully, the fear factor holds out," Ken admitted.

As he continued to defend against any warriors that had taken a different route in (or the same one as the fear factor hadn't quite held out long enough), he noticed the sudden vacancy. The staff were efficient in their evacuation methods though they still had to get their equipment. So when he saw a warrior he suspected as one of their masters, he issued a verbal challenge. "Fight me to the death and the strongest shall determine the fate of these people!" he shouted.

The master was not hesitant in accepting the challenge and even ditched saying that he accepted in favor of just getting to the fight. _I like that about these people even if I like nothing else_ Ken thought silently. _Come now, give into your hatred once more and let me empower you_ said the voice of his grandfather in his head. He shook his head slightly and met the challenge just in time to discover that this warrior's weapon was alive like the ship.

Biomechanical technology, I'll have to bring this up with Luke he thought carefully. His suspicions were confirmed when the snake-like staff actually wrapped around his lance's blade. However, Ken wasn't quite surprise or intimidated by this seeing as he had a secret weapon up his sleeve. Carefully, he maneuvered the slithering staff so that it grabbed the hilt of his lance instead then pressed a pommel button that dislodged the top portion.

So high was the velocity of this dislodgement that his blade actually scored a hit into his enemy's brain, killing him for sure. As soon as the warriors around him saw that their leader was finished, they made a sounding retreat back to where they came from. Their retreat gave the medical staff more than enough time to gather their equipment and evacuate themselves. With that noted, Ken knew his work here was done and now he could go find his mother amidst this war.

The sooner he found her, the sooner they could both leave for Yavin 4 to be reunited with Cassandra. But as he ran for dear life, he made careful note of what happened to him and had a feeling that he'd need to avoid doing anything like that again for a long time. If he did it too soon, his will would be too weak to stop his grandfather from completely taking over. And that was just what the old man was counting on: for Ken to slip up in his mental guards by just that little bit.

**While Ken fought his** own inner demons and the foreign warriors to save the medical staff and their patients (Cassandra included), Rose fought her own battles. Aside from having to improvise in her form to suit what was unfolding, she was fighting as hard as she could to survive. As if that was not bad enough, she noticed that her more telekinetically-based powers were no match for them unless she hurled nearby objects at them. Instead, she relied on energy blasts that she could conjure whether with Kinetite or Emerald Fire.

She even relied on doses of Force Repulse and Maelstrom (the latter being used to draw in enemies while the former destroyed them) whenever she wasn't using her blade. Her Tutaminis skills were also relied upon though this was almost desperate. "You never were good at extensive combat," said a familiar voice, standing on an ovation platform above all these warriors. "Edward Chun, I suspect these are new friends of yours?" Rose asked.

"In a way, yes but in another, a very useful ally if there ever was one," Edward answered. "Then, if you're in charge of all this, stop them!" Rose exclaimed. "They can't be stopped now, there is only the war that _must_ come!" he snapped. "So be it," Rose said before using the Force to levitate herself up to the platform and begin fighting him.

Rather than relying solely on her skills in Niman, demonstrated in the series of twirls and swooping horizontal slashes, she also relied on her natural Shii-Cho talent and her Ataru skills. Fusing the twirls of Niman with the basic slashes of Shii-Cho and the acrobatics of Ataru, Rose's form was a blend that gave Edward a surprisingly formidable contestant. When Edward's lackeys made to assist him, he ordered them not to: he stated he wanted this one for himself, if possible. If that wasn't surprising, he also refused to use his blaster pistols (and rather staunchly, too).

"They will be reserved strictly for less honorable opponents such as a Senator or lackey soldiers of the New Republic army. Perhaps, the mighty Wookiee Chewbacca would also fall under this category as well," Edward said, applying the Force to his words. "Don't try Dun Möch on me: much as I admire Chewie, your powers have always been weak on me," she warned him. "In your peak perhaps, but what shall happen now that you have been fighting for several minutes?" he asked.

Rose found he had a point and somehow, that let in whatever spell he was trying to pull on her. Suddenly, his combination of Juyo (characterized by angry hacks, slashes, and spins), Shien (mostly based on the reverse grip he sometimes used), and Makashi (precision) seemed deadlier. In fact, it was all Rose could do to power on through despite what was happening to her willpower. This was especially difficult to do once she also recalled he could teleport sometimes, an advantage she had thought dishonorable when it came to combat.

However, he held this back (likely because of how taxing it could be) and reserved it only for gaining control of their dueling environment. This was confirmed when one of the large enemy ships was shot down and started heading toward them in a fiery blaze. While Edward teleported, Rose hesitated if only to see where he was going. Despite seeing that he landed closer to the top of the massive construct falling out of the skies, she augmented her next leap to her utmost limit.

The result was arriving within striking distance of Edward's blade even as parts of the ship burned and spewed ink-black smoke all around them. When it crashed, both were temporarily lifted off their feet though both had the same idea of plunging their blades into the hull. They held on until it was clear the behemoth they stood on wasn't going to move anymore then continued. However, as Edward had observed happening earlier, the entire incident took a great toll on Rose's endurance, speed, stamina.

Where once she had been brilliant and refined, it seemed like even holding the blade and using it was becoming an arduous burden. Force Valor, despite being one of her finer self-applied talents, would not help her here so she did what she could without it being at her side anymore. It was a brave fight amidst the flaming hulk they landed themselves on but it was ultimately futile. When Edward finally saw her fall on one knee, they both knew that any successful defense against further attacks only delayed the inevitable and both knew there was only one conclusion.

So, rather than delay her demise any further, he used ta Force-augmented slash to bat her weapon out of her hands before using his left hand to grab her neck. He brought her back to her full height just in time for her to watch him run his blood-red blade into her stomach. The searing heat of the blade was excruciating in her body though she knew it wouldn't last long. "Now that I have successfully dispatched you, I will have you know that Cassandra will join you shortly.

"Everyone dies this day except me and those of my allies who prove strong enough to survive the New Republic's defenses. A pity you didn't make our fight last long nor that I came to face you sooner," he said. As Rose stood and listened to what he said, his blade still searing into her flesh, she realized that her blade was thrown at a good enough angle to see them both dead. "No... I think... I'll take you with me," she said.

Using all the ever-fading strength that remained in her, she grabbed his blade arm with her left hand then arced her right so that her arm hovered above his blade. She waited until he struggled to yank his blade off her before she used the last of her will to call her blade to her. Igniting the cyan blade with her thumb, Rose swung her blade through Edward's neck quicker than he could have acted to stop it with the result being glorious. As soon as her blade passed through him, his head rolled off his body and thudded hard on the hybrid of flesh and metal below.

To free herself from the death grip, she severed both his arms as well and kicked the rest of his corpse away from her. Then she pressed on the button that ignited or deactivated his blade, watching as the blood-red weapon of a Sith traveled through her then back into its hilt. Rose knew she had doomed herself to never surviving in doing that but it no longer mattered to her, not now. Instead, she began channeling the last of her life energies and her strength into a special spell she had learned of.

_I give what I have left so that Cassandra Lyn, my dearest friend, may rise out of her coma and fight this terror that has befallen the galaxy. Darkness is upon us and only she can truly save us_ she told herself silently. Upon saying this however, she sensed all that she had left transferring into the act and though she'd never see it happen, she knew she had given the NR a valuable gift. She had given them hope and as her last breath of life escaped her, she was content to die knowing she had honored her uncle's memory and truly was a Jedi Knight.

**As Kendalina weaved her** way through alleys and sewers in the hopes of avoiding as much confrontation with this new enemy as she could, she suddenly felt a dark wave hit her hard. So hard, in fact, that she was even thrown onto her back which was dangerous in her condition. But she was quick in her recovery and soon recollected her thoughts. As soon as she did, she gathered what pictures had slammed her eyes in concern to this dark wave of power and knew what it was.

Once again, her son had delved so deeply into his inner darkness that he temporarily doned on the avatar of his grandfather and had nearly failed to return. One of the images she collected showed him using his grandfather's power on several grappling lines, taking down a massive ship. When she realized that he had indeed returned from his grandfather's temporary possession of his body, she decided to delve as deeply into telepathy as she could and reach out to him. _My dear son, I am sending you an image of my location and shall do what I can to wait for you._

_Make haste, however, I don't know how long I have before these things discover me_ she told him. When she received confirmation that he was running to find her location, she decided to try and sit out of the light where she knew they would most likely spot her. Luckily, the will of the Force deemed it unnecessary for her to fight any of these things though it hadn't said that of him. By the time he arrived, his draping cloak was completely gone, stripping him down to his black sleeveless gym shirt and that his right pant leg had a huge gouge from where he had been hit.

"Come Mother, use Force Valor to enhance your ability to walk: I don't know how long the path I cleared for us will hold out," he said. She did and they both ran for their lives in a desperate effort to reach the evacuating military transports. From the look of it, the New Republic was going to be forced to give its capital to this foe and if they didn't get off, they'd soon be dead. Coruscant had fallen yet there was a glimmer of hope that both they and the Jedi felt, despite sensing Rose's sacrifice at the hands of the traitorous Edward Chun.

In a Council meeting held in a private section of the ship, the glimmer of hope was revealed for what it was. Before she died, Rose gave the last of her physical strength and her life force in an effort to awaken Cassandra from her coma. As if that wasn't interesting enough, the fact that she had succeeded in her ceremony surely sparked talk among the Council. "Give her time to adjust and slowly take in what's happened.

"When she hears of how she was saved from the Yuuzhan Vong and how she was revived, she will show no mercy to this new foe. To them, she will become something even worse than the Eternal Black Fire of Darkness that I can transform into: she will become Death incarnate. And to challenge her might is to court an unmerciful destruction of not only your body and your soul," Ken warned. "You're not seriously suggesting we let her utilize her other side!?" Leia asked.

"This is war and desperate times call for desperate measures. If her powers are enough to make a dent, it's good enough for me," he replied. Silence befell the adjourned Council after that.

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry for yet another wait but I assure you that I am _hell-bent _on fulfilling my promise to make up for my lack of updates when I quit my job, this coming Saturday. However, allow me to give you something that will thrill your imaginations for now: when Ken and Palpatine talk at the same time, please picture the Tim Curry take on Palpatine (for the Clone Wars) uttering words alongside his grandson's normal voice. Pretty neat, huh? Until the next time!**


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

When news of the Yuuzhan Vong victory at Coruscant reached Triclops, he was pleased with their success but surprised to hear mention of Edward Chun's contributions to the fight. He had failed Triclops in destroying Rose and Cassandra on Christophsis yet lent his services to them. Interesting as it was, Triclops confessed that perhaps he made up for his earlier failure by killing Rose and convincing Vergere to render Cassandra comatose if it was within her power to do. Aside from his son, those two women would be the most powerful warriors of the Jedi Order and killing even one of them was good.

Then there was a section of the reports that detailed purple lightning coursing through the grappling lines of a worldship (their biggest equivalent to a cruiser) and bringing it down. If it was as he thought it was, then it explained how that same Lightning was able to bring it down. _Ken has once again given into his Inner Darkness, likely to save a comatose_ Cassandra he told himself. Smiling, he knew that there would be a time when Ken went so deeply into that Rage, that even Triclops could indulge himself into, that there would be no coming back.

Once that happened, Cassandra would be alone except for her foster family and Triclops thought about persuading Nom Anor to throw the Solos forces that'd only destroy them. However, he had a feeling Minister Nom would discover them as a threat soon enough and didn't worry. Instead, he decided to focus on what to do in the event that Nom gave the order for his troops at the Dromund Kaas base they had made. At the moment, he decided it would be best only to explore the Yuuzhan Vong biotechnology for now and discover its weaknesses.

Once he did, he would then customize measures in his temple to suit both what he had known throughout his life and this new technological terror. In fact, he even wondered about having his weapons switch modes: one to suit what he was familiar with and one for this. "Achilles, what information do we have on biomechanical technology?" Triclops asked. "You mean aside from connecting mechanical limbs to flesh and my kind of cybernetics? We do have examples of prevalent biomechanical engineering though these aren't as marvelous as theirs," Achilles confessed.

"Trace how constructs brought forth by bioengineering were destroyed, it may be our only chance if the Yuuzhan Vong betray us," Triclops ordered. "With due respect, Master, their technology seems quite vulnerable to fire and anything that can start it. And just like almost any species we can name with flesh and blood, they just might have a huge weakness for electricity. We could send high voltage proton bombs that would also spray flammable fluids to destroy them," Hemera suggested.

"And what about containment?" Triclops inquired. "If those ships are as alive as Nom Anor would like us to believe, the ships will stink too badly to be contained for quite some time. Unless, like a lot of insectoid creatures, they give off no odor upon death which is unlikely when fire is involved," Achilles explained. "Insects cooked to a crisp actually smell no worse than an overcooked Bantha steak or so I have perceived but I see your point," Triclops countered.

"But Hemera has a good idea, even so: even if the proton bomb mostly sends electrical pulses, there will be enough of a spark to ignite any flammable chemicals also sent up to them. How such a handy device could be perfected will require testing that could draw unwanted suspicion to us but it's likely the only way we even stand a chance," Achilles stated. "Not quite: I employed a similar technology to what you're suggesting when I was the Crown Prince. Though not used in a proton bomb, I would frequently tie bags filled with flammable chemicals to a missile.

"Sending that missile into any forest would have caused a fire that'd spread across hundreds of miles in less than a minute and could engulf entire jungles in hours. The timing of the release of these bags was such as to create the illusion of a fire sheet when the missile exploded. And the angles of deliverance were such that rather than creating wide, unreachable blots, I would create ovular trails that would ignite everything around them, hence the speed of the flames. We could try something similar to that and not necessarily with a proton bomb," Triclops said.

"If you have the schematics, I'd like to see them," Achilles said. "I don't but I have photographic memory and can replicate the schematics accordingly. When finished, I will give them to you," Triclops replied. Achilles nodded and Triclops decided to ask him for some drafting flimsiplast so that he could begin immediately.

When the cyborg obeyed, he stretched out an entire sheet and used all four arms to pin the ends of the flimsiplast after stretching the roll out for Triclops' use. Because Triclops drew his own blueprints every time he had a new idea for a weapon, he was refined in drawing drafting pictures. So refined, in fact, that where three normal men would have taken several minutes, Triclops took only a couple minutes. When he finished, he presented the blueprints to Achilles for his own use in designing the weapon.

Hemera stood to the side while Triclops handed the blueprints and when the more massive cyborg disappeared, she spoke. "It's a risk to be creating these weapons under their shadow. How do you know they haven't already had spies sent into the Temple? You've complained that you couldn't sense them in the Force," she asked.

Triclops confessed he hadn't thought of that but he didn't need to sense them through the Force to see the signs of arrogance in Nom Anor. "Nom Anor is proud, too proud to send in spies. He believes he will win this war when it is likely that the Prophets would have foreseen otherwise," he answered. "How do you know he's not deceiving you with a charade of arrogance?" she inquired.

I've dealt with people who could mask their intentions from me before though it wasn't because they lived outside the Force. Each and every time I ever worked with them, they turned out to be snobby, arrogant souls doomed to fail in their one mission in their short life," he replied. Achilles came back after a few minutes of their chat and interjected that he may have an idea of how to make these. "We have the missiles and we have the supplies to make this work, we just need a distraction conducted on our friends for the best results," he added.

"The best perhaps but a distraction shouldn't be necessary so long as Nom Anor remains as snobby and arrogant as he is now," Triclops told him. "And if he is deceiving you?" Achilles asked. "Then we must be prepared to fight when he decides to drop his charade and attack us," Triclops answered. There was no more to be said on the matter and Achilles continued with his designs.

**Cassandra was violently ripped** from her coma and thrust back into the conscious universe, where she no longer seemed to live outside time and was bound to Time's will like all mortals. However, she sensed an absence of Rose's presence and immediately was frightened. "Where am I!? Where's my friend, Rose!" she demanded.

By this time, Ken was just arriving to check on her and he arrived in time to see the nurses try and calm her, only to be swept aside with the Force. "Calm yourself, Cassandra. Sit down and I promise I'll tell you everything," he told her. Cassandra was relieved to see her former mentor was still there and she was willing to trust anything he had to tell her.

"While you were in the coma, we came under attack from a race of beings who live outside the Force itself. For now, we've taken to calling them the Outsiders but they will undoubtedly reveal their true identity with time. We were to evacuate you and many Jedi as well as several Senators, though we still lost many others in the process of getting the survivors even to this point. As for Rose... let's just say she was among those Jedi that didn't make it," he explained, pausing long enough to let a shroud of sadness fall when he mentioned Rose.

Cassandra was devastated, finding sheer emotional oblivion in that moment where she heard that her best friend had not escaped Coruscant with her life. However, Ken told her to take solace for when Rose was wounded and dying, she sacrificed her remaining life energy for her. "These enemies were led to Coruscant by the traitor Edward Chun, as we discovered to our chagrin, but she seems to have managed to kill him despite being impaled on his blade. Rose was strong to the end, even as she enacted the ritual that brought you back to us," he added.

Ken was then joined by some familiar faces: the Solo family had come to check on Cassandra. "Alright, Cassandra's awake!" Han exclaimed. "Sorry to hear about Rose but you and I are gonna kick their asses together!" Jaina promised. Leia simply smiled and welcomed her back, melting Cassandra's heart when her daughter and husband warmed it.

"Are Lowie and Tahiri with you?" Cassandra asked. Jaina nodded in confirmation and Han asked if that was because she wanted them on their team. "You bet I do. These Outsiders, whatever their real identity, will know why I am the Fire; why I am Death!" Cassandra snapped.

Ken smirked and Leia looked at him uneasily, which made Cassandra wonder if Ken was planning something or had done something to protect her. She decided that when he was ready to tell her, he would. In the meantime, she recovered her lightsaber from on his belt and decided it would be best to try and get a fresh robe to use as an escape from her current gown. Thankfully, Ken had been able to recover some of her possessions and that included a spare outfit.

Allowing her some time to recover from her unconsciousness, Ken provided her with a place in his own improvised headquarters for her to change in. When she came out, she looked like the Cassandra that everybody knew and loved though the experience she had had changed her. True that she had overcome all the side effects of the ritual that was attempted on her but even so, she had been tranced long enough for Coruscant to fall and Rose to die. The New Republic was dead and would have to undergo a transformation like no other, in order to survive the war ahead.

"What is to be done to overcome this enemy?" Ken asked when she emerged. "Though you're going to hate me for this, we'll need to put our differences aside with the Imps. Let us send out a message requesting a representative to discuss a truce. We'll fight together against this new enemy and no doubt, they'll have vital information we may need to stand a chance," she answered.

"A wise choice, Cassandra. I will take care of the peace talks and you shall serve as my escort: if any such talks are to have impact, they should be done by a grandson of the Emperor. However, credit will be given where it's due and your creation of the idea will not go unnoticed," Ken told her. Cassandra nodded and Luke even suggested the idea that when the retaliations began, there should be no more than two or three Jedi assigned to any mission.

"It'll slow down the dwindling of our numbers however, we are prepared to send more only if it is absolutely necessary to do so. In no other situation will the Jedi already assigned to a task receive assistance from his fellow Knights," the elder Jedi told them. Cassandra didn't challenge that even if she knew it wasn't exactly a wise move. After all, while they did need all the able-bodied Jedi they could get, they would also need them to be ready to go anywhere.

It would spread the ranks of an already-damaged society very thinly across the galaxy but what could one do against a terrifying foe like this? Because Cassandra recently killed Mother Talzin, it wasn't like the Jedi could go back to Dathomir and ask for the Nightsisters' help. And there weren't a lot of Force-sensitive groups that were very active in Galactic affairs at all. Then there was the fact that the Sith were still fragmented by the deaths of Palpatine and Lord Vader.

Many a Hand and Eye of the Emperor had attempted to sow the pieces back together again but only Palpatine's son Triclops held the power to do that. Not only had he been taught the ways of the Sith as intimately as Vader was but he also was one of only two to truly defeat his father. The other had been Cassandra's mother Arden, who had done fairly enough when she attempted to capture him on Admiral Zaarin's behalf. But with Triclops nowhere to be found (if he had indeed survived his last battle with Ken), that hope was all but gone.

"When you have succeeded in winning the Imperial Remnant's trust, report back to our base on Yavin 4. We'll begin coordinating attacks there to try and counter this enemy as best we can even if we'll still be reeling from Coruscant's fall," Luke said. "Have Leia rally the Senators into assisting with that task, it's impossible for any one mind to do it even if it's yours," Ken said. Leia nodded and decided to begin gathering the remnants of the Senate immediately, this way those efforts could begin immediately.

In the meantime, Cassandra decided to ask to be shown to a room of her own and even asked for a moment in time to mourn Rose. Ken decided she should be permitted that since she had lost her best friend in exchange for coming out of her coma. How Rose even knew the incantation for enacting such a powerful ritual, Ken didn't know but he presumed it to be a very familial thing. Her uncle, Kit Fisto, not only specialized several rituals for aquatic use but he also created some of his own underwater ceremonies that turned the tides of any underwater battle, in a heartbeat.

But no one, not even Cassandra, knew if knowledge of this life-transfer spell was something Kit Fisto created or if he invented the steps for Rose to follow. If it was the former, the Jedi had better hope she left records of how she was able to perform the ceremony. But if it was the latter, the Jedi had to also hope that Kit Fisto left records and Rose's spirit could assist them. However, there was another issue raised with that: did Rose learn how to become a Spirit or did she become one with the Force in much the same fashion as just about anyone else?

Nonetheless, Cassandra was given her own room and allowed to light a candle for her fallen comrade. When she had done so, she decided to leave it since even the fabrics of her headquarters were fireproof even if it was somehow overturned. Nonetheless, if it risked being overturned, Cassandra decided to bolt down the candle bowl to the little pyre she made for Rose. The pyre even came with a picture of Rose posing in a low-guard stance characteristic of Niman (the blade was pointed to the floor at a diagonal angle).

However, there was one piece of the puzzle that the picture reminded Cassandra about. "Ken, was it possible to recover Rose's lightsaber before Coruscant was evacuated? If it was, I'd like to attach that to my belt to wield alongside my own," Cassandra asked. "Unfortunately, no but when we retake Coruscant, I'll be sure to look for that myself," Ken answered.

"Never mind that, perhaps traces of her presence remain in great enough thickness for me to sense where it is. With luck, it won't be at the site of her fall which would mean going back to Coruscant but a place where we could reach it," Cassandra said. After that was said, she decided to reach out with her bond to her deceased friend in the hopes of finding her friend's lightsaber. Concentrating deeply, she sent radar-like waves of telepathic energy across the stars to see if she could pinpoint the location of her friend's weapon.

It was barely enough but she was able to pick up the presence of her friend's weapon, deep within the bowels of Coruscant's Upper City. Near it was the sight of a crashed enemy ship, likely resulting from when Ken used his power or cannon fire had gotten lucky enough to destroy it. The body was not far away from where the weapon fell which made Cassandra grieve further. Beside her was the dismembered body of Edward Chun which somewhat alleviated her grief.

The traitor would not be able to help this foreign enemy with any more attacks nor would he likely have been able to lead them to important locations, if he survived. Edward was one of the few Jedi who wasn't around long enough to obtain full tactical information on NR bases. By the time he left, the only ones that didn't have such information were Younglings and Apprentices. However, the damage was done and though he lacked tactical knowledge of the New Republic's operations, he had struck a more critical blow than he could possibly know.

_We need men who will strike those kinds of blows with as little knowledge of the galaxy around them as he had. Because then, who knows what would happen if they were actually given the knowledge they need_Ken thought silently. In the meantime, Leia, her brother, and husband were all beginning to propose serious reformations to their government. Reformations that would even see to a changing of the name of their organization.

"The New Republic will survive this, the old one faced crises involving destruction to Coruscant on many an occasion and did just fine," Han said. "The New Republic? Are you blind? There is no New Republic!

"It died with the Yuuzhan Vong came!" Leia exclaimed. Overhearing this was when Cassandra and Ken finally heard the name of the enemy they were up against. _So there is a name to these creatures... very well then._

_These Yuuzhan Vong creatures will be made to pay for what they allowed the traitor Edward Chun do to my friend, Rose. I will bear the Dragonfire that brings their death toll higher than ever they faced in Coruscant: my vengeance will destroy them all!_ Cassandra thought. As she watched the meeting where Leia made her own exclamation, Ken sensed her darkness growing. He smiled, letting her know she was right to give into the other side: he even went as far as to assure her that they would need all the weapons and superweapons they could get.

_Your power has yet to be tapped into and I believe there is much that is yet to be discovered about what gifts you possess. I've had the honor of training you throughout your childhood but I doubt I've even touched the surface of your power. Use your love for Rose and your desire to avenge her death to fuel your gifts. Fight for her, fight for those you call family, and fight for your mother; we have the power between us to become gods now_ he said telepathically.

She nodded slightly to assure him that she was listening and he smirked a little. "Leia is right: it is time we took our resources and underwent a transformation like the fiery phoenix. We will be made stronger in the aftermath of our rebirth and that strength will allow us to win. I am willing to lend the power of my grandfather's soul to the fight.

"And Cassandra has untapped gifts in the Force that she can lend. Between us, we have the power to give the Yuuzhan Vong a new meaning to the word 'fear'. Simply let us loose upon them and even you will rightly tremble before the Black Dragon, Luke!" Ken said aloud. "I am Death, they just don't know it yet," Cassandra agreed.

The Solo family, who were present in the proceedings as well, shivered slightly at Ken's words but they were practically cowering when they heard Cassandra spoke. It seemed that the Force-attuned members understood what her words meant better than the others did. For them, it was simply the words of two Force-sensitive mad people driven by grief and vengeance. However, Leia and Jaina knew better: Ken intended to unleash the full power of his gift alongside Cassandra.

Worse, Cassandra would soon unleashed a side to her powers that they had never seen before though they knew that she stood at the nexus in the Force itself. Just as easily as she could access the greater depths of the powers of the Light, so too could the heart of Darkness be hers. "You two need to seriously consider taking a chill pill right now: you're acting like Sith Lords!" Han snapped. "Maybe so, but Light and Dark powers will likely need to unite if all life in this galaxy is to survive.

"If the two of them have powers in the Dark Side to even make the Yuuzhan Vong wet themselves, that's good enough for me, at the moment," Luke said. But Leia joined her husband in his reservations. "I think you're making a mistake," she told her brother with a heavy heart.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen**

Nom Anor had to admit that despite the casualties suffered in the taking of Coruscant, reckless as Tsavong Lah's strategical errors were, the victory was incredible. Now, he was free to go about pursuing his vengeance against the descendants of Arden Lyn. He had never forgiven or forgotten how she cheated him out of the Kashi Mer Talisman despite hearing of her death. Now that she was indeed dead, it was his destiny to exact his revenge on her descendants.

There was only one such descendant, unfortunately, which meant that Nom Anor's revenge would have to be slow and subtle rather than grandiose and large. But that mattered little to him so long as he had a chance to avenge the Talisman's destruction, all those years ago. His eye was set on another prize now and that prize was the head of Arden's descendant on his desk. Tsavong Lah came into his office, however, he had to withdraw his mind from thoughts of his revenge so that he could speak with the Warmaster.

"Tsavong, you'd better have some good news for me," Nom said. "Nothing that you don't already know but I do believe it should interest you to find an update on Arden Lyn's daughter. Somehow, she was awakened from her coma when he friend gave the last of her life force to her revival and has now vowed to avenge her fallen comrade in the battles to come," Tsavong said. _Interesting, then my own vengeance can begin unfolding before her very eyes: I shall strike at all whom she should say she loves then grant her death's release after I've thoroughly tortured her._

_It will be a joy ridding this universe of the last of Arden Lyn's bloodline forever_ Nom thought silently. "Have your spies find out where she is and she will be sent next, I want to be sure that the first battle she fights for her precious Jedi Order will also be her last," he ordered aloud. "With all due respect, milord, I believe that her first battle should be set up as an assessment of her strength on our end. Give her something we'd call basic infantry and see how she pulls through, increasing the difficulty to know what her upper limits are.

"For all you know, you could have someone you'd like to personally face in a duel to the death on your hands. Wouldn't you like to know if her strength is worthy of that kind of attention?" Tsavong asked. _Hm... he does present an excellent point and I did underestimate her mother and her stupid little apprentice when we crossed paths all those years ago_ Nom thought. But then he recalled that he had unleashed Arden and her apprentice on Onimi, the only Yuuzhan Vong with Force-attunement, in a bid for power against their Supreme Overlord. Though he suffered severe deformities as a result, Onimi had survived and had also vowed revenge.

"Bring your idea forth to Onimi and our Supreme Overlord, watch especially for how Onimi reacts to your offer then report back to me. My decision will be in accordance to wanting to see Onimi eliminated so that I have Arden Lyn's child to myself and I need input," Nom said. "Yessir, I shall report to Onimi and Supreme Overlord Shimrra with my developments and see what Onimi thinks. I'm guessing that we're back to the old days where we're conspiring to eliminate the two of them?" Tsavong asked.

"Yes, we are back to the days when your father Czulkang was Warmaster. By the way, how is your father doing these days?" Nom replied. "Wasting his final years away now that I have stolen the mantle of Warmaster from him, as a teacher of strategy and martial arts to my warriors. It's only a matter of time before I tire of his constant protests against this newly-ignited war and decide to fulfill his dreams, if only so I can see him eliminated in battle," Tsavong said.

A lightbulb went off in Nom Anor's head at that idea and he decided maybe that sentiment could come in handy. "You know what you just made me wonder? What if it were possible to have your father fulfil his dreams of dying in battle opposite the daughter of Arden Lyn? He was a staunch supporter of letting Arden return to her people after she destroyed Onimi," he suggested.

"Are you suggesting that we have him oppose Arden Lyn's daughter and allow the sting to make him commit a strategical suicide to save her skin?" Tsavong inquired, very interested. By this time, the conflict was two years old and was still relatively strong as far as Nom was concerned. Though the child of Arden Lyn had likely not known the name of the Yuuzhan Vong, she had already opposed them on several fronts that had not been taken by other Jedi. These fronts included Seline, both the Dibrook battles, Mygeeto, and Ord Mantell among others.

It was during the first year of the war that Nom Anor had discovered her existence and her bloodline. Additionally, it was during the second (at her defeat on Karbala and her victory at Sernpidal) that Nom discovered her friend. Now that he heard the news of her friend's death at Coruscant's fall, he wondered just how this child of Arden would fare without her. It was true that she had been on her own during the Vortex battle and had done incredibly well but that was once.

On top of that, it could have been a day where the gods were displeased with the Yuuzhan Vong and decided to help Cassandra (the daughter's name) win. It seemed a lucky twist in fortune that the Jedi should have assigned Cassandra on a separate mission to Christophsis after that. In addition to that twist, it seemed strange that she would fall into a long coma soon afterwards too. But now she was awake and had likely heard about Anakin Solo's death at Myrkr (or would know soon) which would further aggravate her further.

In the meantime, Nom Anor decided to begin renewing his focus on the elimination of Czulkang and the fall of both Onimi and Shimrra. Soon, those who opposed his bid for power would be without a head to guide them and would disperse before the winds of time. With the last of his strong opponents eliminated, Nom would be clear to take over the war and have his revenge. And Tsavong would play his part as Nom Anor's pawn beautifully, even if he believed he acted from free will.

**Soon after the meeting** to begin coordinating attacks, Cassandra was made aware of Anakin's death on Myrkr and Jacen's capture. She didn't know whether to give into her grief or into her rage first. Her rage gave her strength and clarity in dark times like these but her grief was equally profound because it showed her and others just how much she cared about the boys. Jaina and Cassandra even held each other in their arms to share in their pain at what had happened.

First, Chewie had given his life to save the Solo family (an example Cassandra only hoped to be able to emulate) now Anakin had given his own to make Myrkr a success. However, both women were soon made aware of a need for the Unknown Regions to be freed from the enemy. "If we have someone coordinate a series of attacks along the Fringe Systems and the Unknown Regions, it could turn the tides of war in our favor. Would you be willing to lead such attacks, Cassandra?" Luke asked, after taking a moment to observe them before interjecting.

"Fine but Ken has a talent for Battle Meditation that I'd like to exploit during those campaigns. Where would you like me to go?" she asked. "More prominent worlds include Moraband, Nelvaan, and even Mustafar. If possible, we'd like you to finish in time to meet Wedge Antilles at Belsevias which we believe may be coming under attack again," he answered.

"So until it's time to go to Belsevias, you want me to go across the entire fringe until I form a full circle then cut into Belsevias and divide the enemy into further pieces. Am I correct?" she asked. "A term of the truce we're going to establish with the Imperial Remnant is that we help them in the Outer Rim and Unknown Regions for their help elsewhere. Once Ken succeeds in this regard, of course, and is reassigned to give his Battle Meditation to you," he answered.

"Then I'm your gal for the missions: I'll even see if I can help you retake Coruscant when the time comes for that," Cassandra offered. "We'll need everything for that, so please be ready when we make the call to retake our capital," Luke said. _He said Nelvaan was one of the more prominent worlds? Looks like I'm going back to the place where I had one of my Trials before this war is out_ Cassandra thought silently.

"Let me know when the time approaches through telepathy, just in case our enemy has learned how to trace our comm transmissions. If I'm going to complete this job, I'm going to need the element of surprise as well as good communication. Telepathy will help provide both," Cassandra said. "I will relay the news to you when it's time for the retake," Jaina told her.

Luke smiled, pleased his niece was willing to help and then suggested an idea. "I think I'll have you detour in your job when you can reach Belsevias, stay there and help, then go back out. The reason for this is Wedge may need help but at the same time, I need someone who can go around and behind Coruscant and be ready to give them a blow from behind. With your attack on the Fringe Systems and the Unknown Regions, you would be in a very good position for that.

"Are you feeling up to it?" he added. Cassandra nodded and told him just to give her the resources he believed she would be needing and leave it at that. "Start from Yavin 4's north then work your way all the way around to where you can fly into Belsevias. Once you do that, fly in such a fashion that your forces can come full circle whilst still preparing to help take Coruscant.

"I have a feeling that the Yuuzhan Vong might not anticipate a blow from behind even if they do anticipate a lot of things on that region of the galaxy," he explained. _If the Imperial Remnant is going to have forces there, I may have an idea that'd work. With their help, I could complete the ring and prepare to take Coruscant without spreading out my forces_ she thought. "You know something Luke?

"You said the Imperials will agree to help us in the innermost portion of the galaxy in exchange for help on the fringes and the Unknown Regions. Could it be possible for me to send a fleet of Imps to aid Wedge on Belsevias when I have capacity to cut that corner? I'm thinking maybe I'll have the Imps do work that would spread my fleet out under normal circumstances. Hence, the questions and in particular if I'm gonna be ready to help retake Coruscant whilst still completing the ring, I may have to ask them to haul their own weight on the fringes," she asked.

"You know, that's not a bad idea. Make an agreement with the Imps accompanying you where you'll do most of the real work on the Fringe Systems in exchange for them doing that. Clever use of our alliance and our forces, Cassandra," he answered. "Thank you Luke, thank you very much. I thought you'd like that," she teased.

"Can I come on this?" Jaina asked. "No, your uncle and your parents will need you here, Jaina. I wish you could but it is the truth but you can give me Lowbacca, if you don't have assignments for him, Luke. He'll need an excuse to chase down those who helped kill his uncle and this might be it," Cassandra offered.

Luke agreed to have Lowie transferred with Cassandra alongside Ken, when the truce was arranged. "You'll have a few days to relax before we know how it went. Once the truce is made, you'll be provided with a fleet to command and people to advise you on strategical movements. Heed their advice when and if it suits you but at least ask them their opinion before you go your own way," he said.

Cassandra nodded and promised that she'd make that clear to them before they took off. After that, Luke left the girls alone to make sure everything was going as planned and once again, Jaina and Cassandra were on their own to grieve Jacen and Anakin if they wished. However, Cassandra decided to ask Jaina if she'd like to spar for old times sake, instead. "Me, little Jaina Solo, against Ken's finest apprentice and the killer of Talzin?" Jaina asked.

"I killed Talzin with my abilities in the Force, lightsabers would have proved useless against her. For all you know, you might be as good with a blade as I am with the Force," Cassandra replied. "In that case, I know a good little area that could serve as a sparring arena on this ship. Follow me and I'll take you there," Jaina said.

With that, Jaina rose up with her lightsaber in hand to take her lifelong friend to the "arena" she spoke of. After arriving, which was within a few minutes of walking across entire corridors, she ignited her blade while Cassandra whipped our her blade and did the same. "Hope you've been working on the superform of yours," Jaina said. "You have no idea," Cassandra replied.

But before the two could begin, Leia interjected and asked Jaina to step down. "But mother!" Jaina exclaimed. "No, Cassandra will be my opponent. I want to see this superform in dueling fashion," Leia told her.

Jaina made to argue but Cassandra assured her that it was all right. "If I have any energy for another round, I promise I'll spar with you then. Otherwise, we'll do it another time," she added. Jaina nodded and sat down on a seat improvised with a crate (the NR was also shipping its supplies to Yavin 4 as well as its people).

"Prepare yourself, Cassandra," Leia said. "I'm ahead of you on that, Leia," Cassandra replied. Then both charged without interruption and the duel began with Leia leading a strong forward attack while Cassandra merely defened so that she could examine Leia's style. Something Ken taught her early on was to let her opponent have the first offensive then counter from there.

Once Cassandra noticed that Leia took more after using Niman, Makashi, and Ataru than anything else. With that, she decided to focus on the weaknesses that were associated with all three styles: lack of strength and agility for both Niman and Makashi and need for large space in Ataru. Cassandra also wasn't surprised that Leia was fonder of these: she hadn't impressed the younger woman as being a Djem So wielder nor did she have the dark heart it'd take for Juyo or Vaapad. However, Cassandra was notorious for tearing down through any displays of Soresu once one had her really going on the offensive so if she just forced Leia on the defensive, she stood a chance.

So once she made that confirmation to herself, she made a backflip that sent her half a meter away from Leia and she decided to counter with Vaapad, Djem So, and some Makashi. All three were styles that didn't require large space and two required massive amounts of strength. So she worked in contrast to Leia's display of speed and agility, forcing her on the defensive. When she did, she combined slashes of twirls of Vaapad and slashes of Makashi with Makashi precision.

She even sometimes used jabs and stabs from Makashi at intervals that forced Leia to give up more space than the other two forms used against her would have done. There was even a moment where Cassandra jabbed at her feet, abdomen, and face in rapid succession. The idea behind this wasn't to kill or wound but to distract and unsettle even when each met Leia's blade. Fortunately, they did the trick and Cassandra was set up in a position that allowed her to swing her blade over and around her head and prepare to spin her entire body at a diagonal angle.

With the blade pointed at the ground while she did this, she landed in such a fashion as to allow her to jump yet again and conduct an overhead strike with all the power of Djem So. From there, she used several spins and twirls from Vaapad to keep Leia running. At one point, Cassandra even swung her blade up and down just to try and see how Leia would react. Her purple blade glided across Leia's blue one as she did this and sparks flew from the contact.

At one point, Cassandra twirled her whole body in place and positioned her blade so that it was pointing directly ahead of her. This allowed the blade to come close to severing the top portion of Leia's head and would have succeeded if she didn't turn to deflect it in time. Cassandra bounced off the deflection and swooped her blade up and over one more time, opposite Leia's face. When she came back down, she positioned her blade in such a fashion as to make an underhand jab.

Leia dodged this only sufficiently enough for Cassandra to leap as she spun her body like a drill. When she finished, she circled back around and arched her back enough so that her blade parried a waist blow from behind. Then Cassandra straightened up and swung the blade around to nearly hit Leia in the face yet again. But that was when Cassandra began spinning her blade to the right and watch as Leia struggled to keep up with the onslaught.

"Someone get Luke over here! Tell him Cassandra Lyn is beating his sister Leia in fair lightsaber combat!" said someone watching. "Unbelievable, this is the duel of the millennium!" said another. Neither contestant cared for that but it was interesting that everyone got so roused up by a mere sparring match.

However, both understood that people needed all the reason to go on hoping for the end of the war that they could get. A few moments passed and Luke was soon cutting his way through the audience to see what was happening. By this time, Cassandra had Leia almost trapped in a corner though she disarmed her elder in a strange turn of luck (or the will of the Force). Before Leia could retrieve her weapon, Cassandra pointed her own at her neck to stop her.

"Do you yield, Master Leia Organa Solo?" Cassandra asked. Luke watched on, unbelieving of the display of skill that he had seen despite both women sweating immensely. Both were also breathing incredibly hard, so hard their ribs might have shown beneath their robes. Then Leia wiped the sweat off her forehead and smiled with enthusiasm.

"Cassandra Lyn, it would be my honor to yield to you. It would also be my honor, should my brother accept, to make you a full Master: you've bested one in fair combat and it's only just. What do the two of you have to say?" Leia asked, turning to her brother first then back to Cassandra. Cassandra deactivated her lightsaber, letting Leia free to retrieve her own and place it back at her belt as a token of peace and sincerity in her gesture.

"I accept this, Master Leia. Cassandra, I hereby make you a full Jedi Master with all the war and peacetime privileges befitting a Master. You will answer only to myself and members of Jedi Council, including your old Master Ken, and you will be given command of your own fleet. Do you accept the charge that comes with your rank?" Luke told her. "I do," Cassandra said, amazed Luke even accepted his sister's gesture despite knowing where the inspiration came from.

It wasn't a matter of Cassandra defeating Leia in fair lightsaber combat alone though it was the largest part: it was also a matter of needing all the Knights and Masters possible. For all the galaxy, it was a desperate time and desperate times called for desperate measures including this. In addition, there had been protests on Coruscant that Cassandra be made a full Master for her deeds. Sooner or later, the Council would have had to cave into demand and ceremoniously make Cassandra a full Jedi Master though now wasn't the time for ceremony.

Instead, a hasty promotion in front of supporters for the bid was needed but it was enough to give them even more hope. If Cassandra could be recognized for her exceptional talents as a swordswoman and a Force-user than so too could everyone else be recognized for their gifts. It gave the people around them more incentive to fight beside the New Republic in this dark age. And the incentive to keep fighting was more than enough to inspire future soldiers to arms and the courage to risk their passing amongst all their families.

"Three cheers for Jedi Master Cassandra Lyn!" someone exclaimed. Then shouts rang like one massive chorus among the people, especially the ones that joined the original protests. Leia and Luke smiled, knowing they had done the right thing and were further pleased with news. Ken had arrived to a rendezvous that the Imperial Remnant and the NR established together.

This meant that the peace talks would soon be underway and if the Imperials decided to temporarily forego their enmity with the New Republic, they both stood a chance. Now, everything rode on Ken's persuasive conviction and the Remnant's inclination to listen. _Better to establish an uneasy peace and have one enemy than do no such thing and have many enemies. Ken must do it, he must succeed_ Cassandra thought glumly, unaware how many others thought the same.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen**

"Mighty Jedi Swordmaster Ken, come to reclaim his grandfather's empire when it nears its complete ruin?" asked Admiral Pellaeon. "No, I've not come to reclaim a property that will inevitably fall into disarray and become worthless to me. I'm here, however, to establish a temporary peace between the Imperial Remnant and the New Republic. Fight with us against our common foe, the Yuuzhan Vong, until they have been banished from this galaxy.

"When necessary, we will send forces to help you with your battles in the Outer Rim and Unknown Regions but request your cooperation in the defense of the Mid and Inner Rim worlds. We even have a fleet being established under the overall command of my former apprentice, Cassandra Lyn, that will conduct a complete loop around the Outer Rim with your gracious help. That is, if you are willing to lend a force equal in size to hers to collaborate where and when needed. What do you say, do these terms sound too awful?" Ken answered.

Pellaeon looked like Ken's comments gave him pause for thought, likely making him reserved about jumping to this offer immediately. "If I say yes, our forces would be spread very thinly across the stars with any fleet's loss being immensely detrimental. But if I say no, the Yuuzhan Vong will soon wipe out the Remnant by themselves, anyway," he thought aloud. "You're quite literally between a rock and a hard place," Ken agreed.

Pellaeon looked helpless, a sign that Admiral Thrawn (whose death was still fresh in everyone's memory) was indeed the true brains of the Remnant. With his loss, the Remnant was once again falling apart and Ken knew Pellaeon bore a heavy weight on his shoulders. "If this war is to mark the end of our government, I guess it's best to go down in a blaze. Very well, I'll accept your truce and request that you name a world where my outermost fleet can meet Cassandra.

"Looks like you get your wish to wipe out all traces of your grandfather fulfilled," Pellaeon stated. Ken smiled, pleased that Pellaeon had become so complacent (as if he really had much choice) then told him to have his fleet meet her on Moraband. "She'll begin her attack there and continue to all the worlds of the Outer Rim. She will also collaborate with you to repel Vong forces at the Unknown Regions," he added.

"This is an ambitious undertaking, I might have to sacrifice half my forces in order to meet the equal of what you're sending with your protege," Pellaeon said. "Then do it, they're having me joining her so that I may lend my Battle Meditation to both forces. It will be an ambitious undertaking for me too but it's one we must try in order to stand a chance," Ken replied. "You have a point there... hm, should I just have you take my forces there?" Pellaeon offered.

"Funny you should mention that, I was about to ask for fuel on my shuttle but if you're going to be that courteous, I shall take you up on your offer. Thank you," Ken replied as he finished a glass of Moraband Fire Whiskey, a revelation that made him chuckle. _To think I'll be aiding an attack in the atmosphere above the planet this was named for_ he thought humorously. "Is there nothing more you require, Prince Ken?" Pellaeon asked.

"Only that you honor the terms of this truce while Cassandra and I attack enemy fleets across the entire Outer Rim. Fail to do so and there will be consequences not unlike what my father and grandfather would have dealt you in my place, understood?" Ken answered. Pellaeon nodded, gulping slightly as he did so, then saluted Ken before ordering a shuttle to take him to Moraband. Meanwhile, Ken debated whether or not to contact Duchess Satine Kryze and ask her if she had seen these things before.

If she did then she would likely know how best to minimize casualties in the process of killing them. But if she didn't then it was at least worth a try, if nothing else. Unsure if her old comm frequency was still up to date, he dialed and was surprised to have a response. "What does the great Jedi Swordmaster Ken wish of me?" Satine's hologram asked.

In his hand, the comlink produced the tiniest little figure of Satine's holographic image but it was enough that she and Ken could speak to one another. "As you know, there is a calamity that calls itself the Yuuzhan Vong on our hands. My curiosity is for whether or not you have seen them before this dark time in our galaxy. If so, do you know of any ways that they can be killed whilst minimizing casualties to our armies and our Jedi Order?" Ken inquired.

He kept walking along as he spoke though he made sure there was no one eavesdropping on him while he spoke to her. In the meantime, Satine thought carefully for a moment and it was likely that she had seen holograms of Yuuzhan Vong warriors before. However, her reply somewhat startled him as he had hoped her old mind would be filled of experiences with them. "I have never myself faced Yuuzhan Vong but I know someone who did.

"He has proven difficult to find recently, unfortunately, but if he should be anywhere then Mandalore serves as his home. Soon after the death of Almec at the orders of Darth Maul, his son wandered the galaxy in search of adventure before becoming one of Thrawn's first human recruits. He also became one of the first of that same list of recruits who'd survive Thrawn's encounters with the Yuuzhan Vong and live to tell the tale, even witnessing what Arden Lyn did. It is he alone who can tell you the things that I myself never could despite my travels," Satine said.

"And his name?" Ken asked. "Azmec but be warned that he is nothing like his father as far as his pacifism or cowardice is concerned. He will likely ask you to fight him in an honor duel in exchange for the information," Satine warned. "I can put down such a challenge if I have to," Ken assured her.

"When do you intend to seek him out?" Satine inquired. "I was heading for Moraband to join Cassandra and her NR fleet with a fleet from the Imperial Remnant. However, your information has now forced me to choose between meeting with her and going to Mandalore. She will need me for what she intends to do which is what makes this decision so hard," he admitted.

"Then inform her of this side trip and promise to rejoin her at Moraband. Is that truly so difficult?" Satine snapped. "She is my finest protege and one of the best friends I ever made: she is even like a daughter to me which, indeed, does make this difficult," he confessed. "Then allow me to send out my daughter in search of Azmec, instead. I am near death and I shall have her promise to go to Azmec upon my death," she told him.

"You shouldn't do that to your child," he said. "I'm ninety-seven years old, Ken! And every day, my health gets worse and worse: I know my time approaches. She knows my time approaches as well and knows she will soon need to leave, it's only appropriate," she countered.

Ken didn't try to refute what she said but did ask if her daughter had the skills to pull off the task. "She was trained by Sarcev Quest in her youth and she has enjoyed a life with a husband, a son, and a daughter born of his seed. As such, she knows her line will survive even if she dies and will gladly accept the errand," Satine answered. "Good, then have her do that: I will continue on to Moraband and await either your reply or hers," Ken said.

Their call was disconnected just in time for a stormtrooper to ask Ken if he was ready to proceed to Moraband. "Yes, go ahead and have the fleet prepare to fly out upon my joining your head cruiser's crew. May the Force be with us all," he replied. He was united with the crew within moments and they were soon off for a one-way flight to Moraband.

**Cassandra felt a** dark presence as soon as she arrived on Moraband, likely a testament to the ancient affiliation with the Sith. Lord Vitiate had created an empire with this planet being the very first to fall to his forces, when it was called Korriban, and Sith Lords like him called it home. Naga Sadow, Tulak Hord, Ludo Kressh, Exar Kun, and many others who had commanded armies relied on Moraband and Yavin 4 as their imperial capital. It was amusing then to consider how Lord Sidious had called Coruscant his capital rather than one of those ancient worlds.

Nonetheless, she was more disappointed that she saw only a fleet capable of being mopped all over space when it came to the Yuuzhan Vong forces. It was likely that they didn't see the importance of this planet or were creating an entrance for other fleets to invade her galaxy. But Cassandra wouldn't have it happen and ordered the fleet destroyed. There were no casualties in this quick crossfire and all damaged ships were repaired soon after, despite their furious fight.

_There's one of the more prominent worlds brought back in line with the New Republic, now to continue on to the others that Ken mentioned to me_ Cassandra thought. But just before ordering another jump to hyperspace, she remembered that Ken had promised to meet her here. "Stay and defend Moraband from any further attacks until Ken arrives with a fleet equal to us from the Imperial Remnant. We have to wait until they arrive before we begin our sweep around the Outer Rim and the Unknown Regions," she ordered aloud.

"Yes ma'am!" said several members of the bridge who spread the message to the entire fleet. However, defending Moraband until he arrived was a surprisingly boring task as the only fleets that arrived were ones that were already near exhaustion in their ability to travel. These were ships that were barely able to move, let alone fight, which meant Cassandra racked up points fast. By the time the Imperial fleet finally arrived, Cassandra had already fought four like this and was just barely finishing up the fifth without any casualties on her end.

When Ken and Cassandra reunited, the latter presented Ken with a Meditation chamber whose construction had been ordered between battles against the enemy. He smiled, amazed at the detail and finesse with which she had the chamber designed. "And I'd only be disturbed if I needed to eat or drink for which I could call you to serve my needs. Cassandra... you have done me a great honor, how could I ever repay you?" Ken asked.

"You don't ever need to repay me, Ken. It is you who gave me the skills I needed to overcome Talzin and now, to command a fleet against this new evil. If anything, take this as a token of my own gratitude," she answered. He embraced her tightly, his heart heavy with paternal love for this child that he could never have called his own.

"I shall do my best to keep the fleets invincible or at least, capable only of minimal casualties. However, I am expecting a comm message on my comlink so please be a dear and let me know when the call is being made," he asked before handing her his comlink. "I shall Ken, I shall. In the meantime, I'll lead the fleet and accept your Battle Meditation," she replied.

He smiled and thanked her as he closed the door to the chamber so that he could change into robes he normally used for Meditation rather than his grey traveling clothes. Cassandra marched back to the bridge to leave him there and then decided to tell her fleet what was to come. "Ladies and gentlemen of the NR, gentlemen of the Imperial Remnant, this is Jedi Master Cassandra Lyn," she began after asking for a broadcast to be sent to all the ships above Moraband. A few seconds passed after she began this and she made sure that she was still connected to everyone on board a cruiser.

"We have successfully defend Moraband to a point where the Yuuzhan Vong would be foolish to send anymore fleets here. Now we go to each and every world of the Outer Rim to purge them of the Yuuzhan Vong influence before it can spread further into the galaxy. Among the worlds we are to salvage, Nelvaan and Mustafar are two other prominent ones on the list. Along the way, the Imperials and the NR will have to divide so that the latter may form behind Coruscant.

"The former will complete the ring around the Outer Rim and honor the terms of Ken's truce by aiding Wedge Antilles at Belsevias. Only two outcomes can be expected from this venture: victory or death. And we fight to this end not for the New Republic, not for the Empire, but for the galaxy! We fight so that our descendants do not have to live in fear of the Yuuzhan Vong or their soldiers marching on their doorstep.

"We fight so that our descendants do not bear the weight of the nightmares that we will surely have to bear in fighting this enemy. If we win, there will be a future for everyone but if we should fail then there will be nothing left but what the Yuuzhan Vong should allow. To all your lieutenants and commanders has been sent a map of all the Outer Rim worlds. Let us free or defend them all to our last breath and may the Force be with us in our every battle," Cassandra said.

With that, she asked all the bridge crews to prepare the ships for lightspeed to their next destination so that they could begin their ambitious campaign. _You were not doubt watching me telepathically. How did I do for a first timer, commanding such a massive force?_ she asked Ken via their empathetic connection. _Could have used a bit more drama but it's not bad for being your very first_ he teased.

She giggled a little and wondered what she had missed for him to give such an impressive reply. As the rays of light befell all possible ability to view the endless void of space, Cassandra confessed it was a most beauteous sight indeed. Never before had she seen what actually happened when one entered lightspeed even if she always felt the slight jolt. So this was a nice change from being an enclosed room where there was no ability to see this wondrous array.

**Achilles had prepared a** massive supply of the improvised bags of flammable chemicals that Triclops had initially created for rebels on his Crown world, near Coruscant. But now, the chemicals would be improved in their damage thanks to their attachment to missiles. With this, Achilles had given his master an even better weapon than ever he could have thought of himself. And it was with this in tow that Triclops decided the time had now come to bring news of a change in his mind to the supervising general of the Dromund Kaas Vong encampment.

"Do tell me you have something of importance for me," the General requested. "I do: I'm afraid that I can no longer tolerate the Yuuzhan Vong's presence on my domain. Every week, I see another fleet pass through with your approval as though my domain was yours," Triclops began. "But in a way, your domain _is_ ours now that you have consented to having us here!" the General interrupted.

Waving a finger and shaking his head, Triclops continued his speech to the General. "I only allowed you to stay on my domain as a guest, not as a host to more of your kind. And given the input my spies have given me, I have reason to believe your people will be driven away. Additionally, I have even further reason to believe that even if you were not doomed to fall, you would never have delivered on your oath to me," he replied.

"Fool! Yuuzhan Vong are bound for all eternity to any and all oaths they make to anyone," the General said. "You might be but is Nom Anor?" Triclops asked. "Nom Anor is a heretic and a fool!" the General answered.

"But he is in a position of power that allows him to request my destruction even if Tsavong Lah delivers on that. Surely, you can understand my reservations about keeping up an alliance with another deceiver. Yes, I am gifted in the arts of deception myself and one of the first rules I learned was never trust anyone but expect everyone to trust you," Triclops countered. "So it is war between us now?" the General demanded.

"I am proud to say that that is so, my Vong friend. Achilles here will escort you out and you will be given time to put up a fight against our forces. We expect a good show as we know it will be us who emerge victorious and not you," Triclops stated. "You dare insult the Honored Children of the Gods!?" the General shouted.

"You have failed to destroy the New Republic and the Imperial Remnant while they were divided and now my spies report that they have united. What's to stop someone like me from using the resources at my disposal to destroy a simple base?" Triclops calmly replied. "You are a fool! Even if you succeeded, your resources are likely to be fully depleted and thus you are left with no empire to rule," the General told him.

"You are but a blind insect contemplating the void of space and time. Before you is a man who has studied the arts of Darth Vitiate and uncovered how he became immortal. The death and the destruction here will be enough to ensure me centuries, if not millennia, of life. A day, a year, a century will matter not to me once this fighting is over.

"I already have the patience of stone and the will of stars: your striving has thus become insignificant to me and to the history of this galaxy. Let your death be the same when we win this battle," Triclops retorted. Then he used Force Lightning to torture the man as evidence of what he meant. "What I have delivered is but a sample of the power of the immortal Sith Lord that I have become.

"Go back to your people and prepare for battle against mine. It will be magnificent a battle indeed," Triclops told him. Achilles grabbed the little Yuuzhan Vong man by the neck and carried him out with a single hand until they reached the door. Upon reaching the entrance to the ancient temple of the Sith, Achilles forcibly threw the General unto the stairs.

"Get going, shorty! I want a warrior's death if this is to be the battle that sees my death!" Achilles ordered. "We will destroy you, you pathetic mechanical apparition! Your master will pay dearly for this dishonorable treachery!" the General promised after recovering from the fall.

Achilles was surprised to see the man up so soon after hitting his head on the stairs, a blow that would have comatose or even killed Humans of similar stature. But that was another thing about the Yuuzhan Vong that made them different from Humans aside from the obvious. If he could smile, he would have as he knew that at long last, he'd get to fight a real battle. Readying his finest armor and choosing his lightsabers well, he even donned on a black and red cape.

That was when Hemera entered and asked him if the thought of battling this unknown enemy really excited him. "Of course! General Grievous fought against the Republic, N-K Necrosis fought against his creators', and now I fight against those who threaten mine. What more honorable course is there than to continue the legacy that Grievous started?" Achilles replied.

"Sometimes, a legacy is not worth honoring in battle. Grievous was a murderer and N-K Necrosis was weak. How do you know you're not redeeming them of those poor qualities rather than honoring their virtues?" Hemera asked. "Because it was virtuous at the time for Grievous to have destroyed the Jedi and as for N-K Necrosis, he was not weak. He simply lacked the purity of will to direct the power he harnessed with the resources he was given," Achilles answered.

"I just worry for what would happen if you were to share their fate in this battle. Who would stand with me to dethrone our Master if you go?" Hemera continued. "With the kind of power he can muster, would it really matter if I was with you or not?" Achilles countered. Hemera shrugged, admitted that she supposed not but it would have been worth a shot even so.

"In that case my friend, let's fight as though this was going to be our last battle. I will give you cover fire when and where you need it and shall hope for your help in return," she stated. "Thank you friend and who knows? Maybe after this battle, Triclops will be injured and weakened to a point where we can kill him.

"Perhaps after this battle, we can put an end to his dream of finding the mask of Darth Nihilus before he's given a chance to continue pursuing it," he said. _I am not so sure if Triclops will allow himself to reach such a point but if he's there, why not?_ Hemera asked herself silently. _What is she worried about? She's got what she needs to survive this from Phrik alloy armor to missiles in her gauntlet_ Achilles thought quietly.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen**

As her son left with Cassandra and Lowbacca to pursue their conquest of the Outer Rim as well as their campaign at the Unknown Regions, Kendalina meditated in her Yavin 4 hut. She pondered Qui-Gon's words about having to learn how to transcend death and found it troubling. Would a battle with Triclops go so sorely that she would die within minutes of failing, leaving Ken to battle his father alone? Had he been under the age required to be a legal adult, Ken would have been an orphan (which was the actual status he had when he thought he killed Triclops).

Soon as she sensed Qui-Gon's presence again, she decided it was time to ask him when she could begin training. _I would prefer you begin immediately if you can. Every day wasted on ponderance here is one day less that you have to train. Then, if you die with your training incomplete or not even begun, that's it_ Qui-Gon replied. "In that case, I shall go to Dagobah immediately to begin training in the matter of how to transcend death.

"Will you be training me or will another one of your kin do it?" Kendalina asked. _Master Yoda will be supervising your tests but yes, I will train you. Upon completion, I will have no further purpose in this galaxy and it will be up to you_ he confessed. "What would become of you once you fulfill your purpose?" she inquired.

_I will become one with the Force forever and join my old Padawan Kenobi, my former Master Yoda, and thousands of others in the Netherworld. And I will never return again to aid the living with their affairs even if I will always be watching_ he explained. Kendalian became glum, admitting that she'd genuinely miss hearing her former stepfather's voice after that. _Your mother and I will always be watching over you and your son_ he promised her.

Kendalina's heart twisted as though someone stuck an ice-cold vibroknife into her for she had never forgotten her mother's ill-fated attempts to protect her and her two beloved brothers. After she and her older brother Kento (who she honored by naming her son Ken) were born had marked the first attempt. As infants, Kento and Kendalina were discovered to have a strong connection to the Force by Qui-Gon Jinn and taken to the Temple, safe from their fallen father. When he discovered they were beyond his ability to corrupt them to darkness (for once, he had been a Jedi like Qui-Gon only to succumb to the Dark Side), he vowed revenge against Jinn.

Time and again, her birth father made attempts on Qui-Gon's life both when he trained Xanatos as his pupil and when he took Kenobi under his wing. But it was when Kendalina was about eight years old, during Kenobi's training, that her father discovered an affair of his wife's. Not only had she spirited Kendalina and Kento away from him but, as if in gratitude, she began seeing Qui-Gon Jinn while he was away and even conceived Kendalina's half-brother Vergent. Vergent was also spirited away before Kendalina's father discovered the affair and killed their mother in cold blood, an act that led to his murder at Qui-Gon's hand in fair lightsaber combat.

Kendalina only knew of the murder (while her brothers hadn't) because she had actually witnessed her father killing her mother through strangulation before Qui-Gon destroyed him. Recalling that painful experience, she confessed to Qui-Gon that what he had done still sometimes burdened her though she had long forgiven him for it. _I know your heart better than you know it yourself, Kendalina. You think your inability to have helped your mother makes you unfit to be among the Jedi but you have been far stronger than almost any other I've known._

_You were stronger than you gave yourself credit for being then and you're even stronger than you think you are now, thanks to your experience with having a son. It is you who have done what your brothers couldn't have have fathomed even with all their strength and power. Your younger brother Vergent was wise beyond his years when he told you of your strength, before he died_ Qui-Gon told her. "And now I journey to do something that will take greater strength and power to complete than even Triclops could imagine," she said.

_Leave immediately, don't even bother to tell your son where you're going or telling anyone you trust. They will only try to stop you if you tell them where you're headed_ he told her. "I agree... farewell, my boy, farewell," Kendalina said before packing lightly and preparing to travel to Dagobah. And thus, Kendalina Nion Palpatine began the greatest journey of her career as a Jedi and in her entire existence in this galaxy.

**The next world of** significance on Cassandra's list was Raxus, a beautiful planet in the same system as the junk world Raxus Prime and not far from Mon Calamari (the next target). There wasn't much here but she had a feeling that was because Mon Calamari was the real deal. Raxus was just a forward outpost for reaching planets and Mon Calamari was the prize to be won if Raxus' defenses were overcome along with any that were found at Mon Calamari itself. However, before making to attack the Yuuzhan Vong outpost (she ordered her ships to stop out of their estimated firing range, the estimates proving right), Cassandra took a look at her maps.

She knew from Ken's briefing that the side of the Outer Rim that included Dathomir, Dantooine, Mygeeto, Muunilinst, and even Illum had already been secured. However, she was considering a slight change to her plans that she was curious to see implemented. With Lowbacca, her commanders, and Admiral Pellaeon present, she revealed her plan. "I'm thinking once we take Raxus and Mon Calamari, we'll bounce down to Iego and the surrounding worlds.

"We work our way to Tion, going no further inward of the galaxy than Saleucami while we're there and making a run to Kessel with Boz Pity being our utmost limit. Our Noghri allies will alert their kin on Honoghr to our arrival and they can distract the enemy there. When we arrive to Noghri, it's simply a matter of further division followed by a swift conquer," she began. "And what of Hutt Space?" Pellaeon interrupted.

"I believe there's a New Republic ambassador there who's made sure to secure clearance for us to travel through Hutt Space when necessary. And even if we didn't, the Hutts wouldn't exactly stop us since they want the Yuuzhan Vong out too, why do you ask?" Cassandra asked. "Just wanted to be sure you were being considerate of them... go on," Pellaeon replied. Cassandra thanked him and decided to return to her map to explain the rest of her strategy, the worlds she pointed at or were already saved highlighted in red.

"Making our way through Hutt Space, and relying on the help of the Hutts during it all, we'll travel through Teth and see if anything's there. We'll make our way down to Gamorr and keep a boundary at no further inward than Bothawui where and when possible. Once finished, we'll sweep across the systems between Gamorr and Tatooine. In simultaneity to the latter world, we'll also be in close collaboration with the people of Geonosis to liberate their world.

"Ryloth and Naos will mark how far outward we go in the Outer Rim while Christophsis serves as our boundary in the other direction. I want the Imps to keep track of when we're approaching a path to Belsevias so that they may be ready to aid Wedge Antilles there. Nonetheless, when we finish, we'll make a sweep of all worlds in our path to Dagobah and Utapau with Triton marked as our inward boundary. We'll then make a sweep no wider than the inclusion of Hoth, Endor, Rattatak, and Bakura before ending our collaboration at Rakata Prime.

"We will also be on standby to defend whatever fortifications you have in the Unknown Regions, should that prove necessary but otherwise, that's the plan. Once our collaboration is over at Rakata Prime, regardless, I will take my fleets behind Coruscant and stop there. I will remain beyond their ability to perceive me until my superiors give me the order to attack them. What does my little Council have to say to that strategy?" Cassandra continued, finishing with her question.

"I have only one question: what of systems like Illum, Csilla, Ansion, and Kalee?" inquired Lieutenant Hyperion of the New Republic. "That's where Pellaeon's men come in: they'll make a check on those systems and end the ring at Sernpidal. Other than that, I wouldn't have been sure what we'd do if it weren't for him," Cassandra confessed. No one spoke for several moments after that, everyone but Cassandra pondering the weight of her words.

Then it was Pellaeon who spoke up first by saying something that Cassandra wouldn't have expected anyone, even him, to say. "While you're likely no Admiral Thrawn, you've got the best strategy that I've seen for a sweep like this," he stated. She was shocked, to say the least, but she thanked Pellaeon whilst hiding her surprise and continuing from there. "Lowie, you've seen Yuuzhan Vong fight before, what do you think would be the best strategy?

"I mean, for this particular formation of Yuuzhan Vong ships?" she asked. Lowbacca explained via his translation droid that the best would likely a combo of simple ones. Start out by having X-Wings face the Coralskippers head on with TIE fighters covering their rear with bolts. On each flank, however, A-Wings and TIE Interceptors would make a move with Y-Wings and Bombers going behind the worldships and blowing them to hell.

"You're talking about something that, if successful, would incredibly minimize casualties and allow us to continue the campaign without calling for reinforcements. What do you guys think?" Cassandra continued. Pellaeon confessed that the Wookiee's ideas were as good as his, seeing as the Imperials hadn't done much research on Yuuzhan Vong strategies. _Something that would explain why you're not doing so hot in the Unknown Regions._

_Even if the fact you still got a hold there is nothing short of miraculous_ Cassandra thought but didn't say. Nonetheless, she kept any quarrels she had with his methods to herself and decided to tell Ken that it was time to begin applying his Battle Meditation. If the strategy was going to work, she was going to need every advantage she could get and that was one. Meanwhile, everyone on both the bridge crew and elsewhere were getting to their places for the battle ahead.

Much to Cassandra's surprise, the combination of the strategy and the Battle Meditation worked like a charm and with no casualties, not even a need to repair any ships. If these are the results I can expect every time, I wouldn't mind seeing more of this Cassandra thought silently. Sensors reported no enemy lifeforms on the planet below though Cassandra made sure to contact the people's local representative, just in case. After he confirmed what sensors were picking up, she became so confident she decided there would be no rest between this and Mon Calamari.

"Is that really wise, Cassandra?" Pellaeon asked. "How are you feeling, with Ken's Battle Meditation to help you as much as it helps the rest of us?" Cassandra snapped. "Great but..." the older man began. "So let's get to it, we've got a rim of the galaxy to save!" Cassandra exclaimed ecstatically.

As the crews of both Imperial and NR ships prepared to take off for Mon Calamari, Pellaeon only stood and shook his head. Never, not since the Clone Wars, had he seen anyone so excited to jump into the middle of a war as he saw her being today. In fact, the last time that he had seen such recklessness was in the presence of Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka. Though he was able to suppress the memories that came with just the thought of them, he still couldn't help but wonder where she got her carelessness from.

**Tsavong Lah obeyed** Nom Anor in his wishes to inform Onimi of the discovery he'd made of Arden Lyn's daughter, Cassandra. Waiting until Shimrra had disappeared and left Onimi alone, likely on a business trip, Tsavong stepped into have a word with him. "It's been a while, Onimi. How are your injuries healing?" he began.

"I don't feel the pain anymore though you can see that I still look like someone thought I was a cloth and decided to ring me out, a little. Get to the point with whatever you have to say," Onimi replied. "A descendant of the woman who gave you your injuries has been discovered during the fighting for our new capital. She's Arden Lyn's daughter and goes by the name of Cassandra," Tsavong told him.

"Tell me something that I have not already known for a week!" Onimi snarled. "I don't know what you mean," Tsavong admitted. "I've had spies everywhere, I've even had spies who deceived Nom Anor into believing they worked for him when they've actually worked for me. Despite the inconvenient timing, it was those ones who informed me of your plot to use Arden Lyn against me, hoping she'd kill me so that you could bend Shimrra to your will!

"And I know that Nom Anor has his own eye on the daughter of Arden Lyn just as he had one on her, before. So like I said, tell me something I haven't known for at least a week!" Onimi shouted. "Do you know that Lord Triclops of Dromund Kaas has apparently decided to turn against us?" Tsavong Lah asked. "And you would know that, how?" Onimi inquired, the look on his face indicating this was something he hadn't foreseen.

"Like you, I have spies in many places and one such spy reported one of my subordinate warlords being frustrated because Triclops had chosen to betray us all. He even went as far as to say that Triclops acted out of suspicion of Nom Anor's own plans for treachery," Tsavong said. "So we are essentially fighting a war on three fronts: one against the New Republic, another against the Imperial Remnant, and now this one on Dromund Kaas," Onimi stated. "Afraid so, Master Onimi," Tsavong replied.

"Triclops has the manpower to repel the forces there, if Nom Anor's reports about his army are to be believed. The New Republic and the Imperial Remnant are gathering the strength to fight back and win now that they've joined together in alliance. It's not looking very pleasant on our view of the war," Onimi confessed. "It doesn't take a Warmaster as experienced as myself to see that," Tsavong agreed.

"No it doesn't, however, it does explain why Shimrra has been so frustrated in recent times. Your reports seem to have aggravated him to a point where he's practically considering a declaration of martial law where he will oversee the duties of the Warmaster," Onimi admitted. "But if he declares the state of martial law, he'll be in over his head! He's got no experience leading an army nor has he had a duel since he overthrew his predecessor!" Tsavong snapped.

"My thoughts, exactly: I can try and stay his hand in such a declaration for as long as I can but I don't know how long I can keep his fury in check. It is best that you not report anything bad until after you have something good enough to really calm him," Onimi suggested. "I was considering that idea myself and given what you've said, it doesn't sound bad," Tsavong said. _Perhaps it is time for a new Supreme Overlord but could I be the one to challenge him?_ Tsavong thought to himself silently.

"May I suggest consulting your father, Czulkang, about what can be done besides what we've agreed is necessary? Perhaps, even offering him his chance to have one last battle, in case that helps stem the tide of this war?" Onimi asked suddenly. Tsavong hadn't thought about the possibility of allowing his father to come back into the field. Since Arden Lyn left, Tsavong had grown strong enough to overthrow his father and become the new Warmaster of Domain Lah.

Nonetheless, he spared Czulkang's life on condition that he share his knowledge and endless decades of experience with Tsavong and other young Yuuzhan Vong warriors. He had even given the old man materials to write down his experiences on. This way, should he die of old age or in the battlefield like he wanted, his word would be preserved indefinitely. Nonetheless, Tsavong had never thought about actually putting that experience into use for his benefit, not since before the war began.

His father had even founded anti-war petitions, warning their kin that it would be bad news to wage war with this new galaxy. At the time, Tsavong had been young enough and stupid enough to believe every word Shimrra said including how war would bring them all great honor. However, as he reflected on his father's words, he was beginning to wonder if his father had actually been right about what would happen if the Yuuzhan Vong waged war here. After all, when they came, the peoples of this galaxy didn't just roll over as Shimrra promised.

In addition, Vergere had promised that even if they didn't roll over, they would at least be too easy to destroy as to be almost no fun at all. But even that had fallen through and when it did, many a warrior realized they were in over their heads as a blaster bolt went through their brains. If that wasn't their fate than either their heads was cut from their necks by a lightsaber or a Jedi Knight wielding a lightsaber pulverized them with their power called the "Force".

Despite how overwhelming the Yuuzhan Vong seemed to their enemy, they were not so numerous as to be above exhaustion. The war had taken a massive toll on their population even with the battles that saw them victorious. Someday soon, a census would likely confirm that there were so many more women than males and the war would have to be stopped immediately. Once this was done, those men who survived (Tsavong not amongst them) would find trouble coping with what they had seen and would kill their comrades for the most women possible.

It was a crisis waiting to happen, no matter how long it took for it to really begin, and Tsavong even began considering creating his own petition for peace. But Overlord Shimrra had sheer authority over even a Warmaster and the only way to undo that was to challenge him. If Tsavong failed, upon declaring one, the war would continue until there was nothing left. However, if he won, he stood a chance to patch things up with their enemies and vie for peace before it was too late to save his people.

"I will consult my father and in the meantime, I wish for you to use your power to see if there is anything else we can do to curb this war," Tsavong said. Then he bowed and dismissed himself from Onimi's presence, leaving the disheveled dwarf by himself again. "He thinks you will actually aid him in stopping the war?" Vergere asked as she stepped from the shadows. "It's something I'll allow for the time-being but he digs his own grave in trying," Onimi answered.

"Are you saying you mean to remove him from power and then remove his head from his shoulders, yourself?" Vergere continued. "Yes but only after I have drawn his father out from seclusion and granted him his wish to die in battle. Czulkang is the last true vestige of what our people once considered virtuous as well as the first to have met Arden Lyn. As such, it is only fitting that I start with him before continuing my way to Nom Anor himself.

"Tsavong will be my double agent between myself and Nom Anor, ensuring that when I am ready to strike, I can do so without the scrutiny of our ultimate Master. A scrutiny that seems to be noticing less and less, I confess, but that is besides the point," Onimi said. "I still think you should have played along and acted surprised when he mentioned Arden Lyn's daughter. If nothing else, it would help you further tighten the noose you have over his neck," she told him.

"It's already tight enough without that being so, even if it would have sealed his fate right there and then. I'll toy with him for a time, persuade him to bring his father out to his death, then begin using our enemies to plot his demise as well," he explained. _The fool doesn't know that I am using him just as he uses Tsavong!_ she thought calmly. _Does she think I haven't noticed her efforts to manipulate me as I manipulate Tsavong, how does she dare!_ he told himself mentally.

Both of them decided it would be best to play Onimi's game for now even if Vergere was beginning to plot Onimi's death as well. Soon, all those who'd stop her from killing Shimrra and thus gaining revenge for her capture would be dead and branded as traitors in history, after all.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen**

Not six standard hours after his declaration of war, Triclops and his forces were facing down the Yuuzhan Vong encampment that had settled on Dromund Kaas. Above the skies was a single Worldship which likely served as dictation for the structure of the entire encampment. However, on the surface, was a comparatively small yet visible perch the Vong had created for their warlord so that he could watch what happened from a safe distance.

There were a total of about thirty-six thousand ground troops and three massive Magma spitters with triple barrels for extended damage on the enemy. However, they were placed at such strategically inconvenient points that Triclops' forces could use missiles to destroy them all. As if that wasn't bad enough, he could do so in one fell swoop, had he decided not to use his missiles on the Worldship above especially with the customization he had Achilles add. Deciding that the Kuat droids would be the first to be used, Triclops ordered entire legions of them ahead.

This agitated the Yuuzhan Vong even further than his declaration of war would have already done which worked for Triclops, Achilles, and Hemera. While they focused on the droids, Triclops unleashed the rest of his might against them except for the Kashi Mer. Excluding them, Triclops unleashed a force that was just one-hundred and twenty soldiers short of being exactly the same number as the Yuuzhan Vong but that mattered little to him. He would use the Kashi Mer's powers over nature to cover his troops from within the temple.

To the enemy, it'd seem as though the planet was coming alive to defend itself against the Yuuzhan Vong at long last and that was precisely what he wanted. The more he had them fearing his people, the easier it would be to win this battle before it could begin. Achilles led the front while Hemera (thanks to customizations that created jets in her hands and feet) fell behind. She was going to join her Mandalorian warriors in an aerial assault against the Yuuzhan Vong forces and cover Achilles with missile fire whenever he needed her to.

In the meantime, he put on intimidating displays of skill when he'd rotate his hands three-hundred and sixty degrees while activated lightsabers were grasped in them. He cut down and impaled several Yuuzhan Vong warriors without even breaking a sweat. Their amphistaff lasers barely even nicked his armored plating as he continued to massacre them with great ease. He ordered the droids to hold the front while asking the crime families to divide their forces to the flanks.

Meanwhile, Death Watch soldiers were dropping grenades and missiles from above to further divide their forces as laser fire from the droids and Achilles' blades did their own work. These Mandalorian warriors even went as far as to add their own blasterfire from the air for extra support. But it was during explosions caused by the Magma spitters that Achilles knew that they'd have to be rid of them, if they wanted to even stand a chance of victory. So when he got a chance, he made a comm call to Hemera with an idea that he had in mind for destroying them.

"Hemera, use the lasers from your palm emitters to destroy the frontmost Magma spitters, I'll take out the remaining one myself!" he ordered. "Achilles, how do you plan on doing that without help from me? You could be killed trying to do that!" she demanded. "It doesn't matter, start the palm emitters up as soon as you're not busy and destroy the first two!

"Let me worry about what happens when I decide to take out the last one. If I die and we win, it's good enough for me!" Achilles shouted into his comlink. "Alright but I'm covering you with some missile fire when you make your way to the third one," she told him. "Do what you want, so long as it helps us win," he replied.

It was after disconnecting the call that Yuuzhan Vong warriors started to dogpile themselves unto Achilles, hoping to slow down his advance. To a point, they temporarily succeeded but they did more to anger him in the long run than to slow him down. A total of eleven Yuuzhan Vong warriors hauled their weight unto him and tried to bring him down. However, he tossed aside eight (five of whom were killed by the Death Watch with the other three being smashed under Achilles' feet) before throwing two off with his bare hands.

One was smashed against the stone wall closest to them (the Prophets' temple was located in a tropical ravine where massive walls of stone sealed them off). The other landed on the ground in time for a grenade to land on him, vaporizing him in the explosion. But the last suffered a more gruesome fate than his brethren had suffered. After being located as the one grabbing unto Achilles' neck, he was yanked up and over, his arms locked in the cyborg's hands.

Then Achilles took his spare two arms (having put aside his lightsabers when he was dogpiled) and grabbed the little man's head with one and a leg with the other. Upon doing that, he heaved with all his might in a pulling motion and tore off the man's head and three limbs. The Yuuzhan Vong's black blood spewed all over Achilles' armor and mask as he did this. However, something snapped inside of Achilles as the blood spattered over his mask, nearly hitting his eye.

Upon feeling the heat of the blood on his masked face, it seemed that the soul of General Grievous came to life and his rage exploded from within Achilles. Decades of oppressed vengeance boiled forth like water in a massive cauldron over a fire and he felt nearly invincible. Left and right, he was cutting down Yuuzhan Vong warriors even as they fired their amphistaff lasers at him though these bounced off his cortosis armor. He rotated his hands and arms in every direction possible while fighting and mutilated many a warrior on several occasions.

He even slit one warrior's throat when he hit his amphistaff with one lightsaber and swung the other across his throat at such an angle that it didn't (likely couldn't) decapitate. All around and behind him, missiles from Hemera were going off and destroying more of them. Nonetheless, Achilles continued to fight on and on, cutting a swath through the warriors straight ahead. When he finally reached the last Magma spitter, he looked to see if there was a weakness immediately visible on the creature.

After being unable to find one, he decided to make one with his lightsabers, cutting into the side of the beast by rotating his arms in horizontal 360 degree circles. He kept up this rotation as he cut through into the Magma spitter and kept it even as he pushed his way into its body. All round him, there was nothing but the orange magma for several moments but it wasn't that big. Within seconds of beginning, he soon found himself on the other side of the creature and tearing his way out with his lightsabers despite being severely burned by the heat of the magma.

The liquid aspect of it wet his armor and it burned through his chest plate, forcing him to take it off even as his cloak burned to nothing. Even a portion of his mask, above his right eye was melted off in the process and two of his lightsaber became malfunctioned in the process. Roaring in agony as he watched the Magma spitter die, its body melting through the stone stairs that it had been perched on, Achilles noticed he was on the site of an ancient sentry post. Taking a brief look at his surroundings, he also noticed that he wasn't far from where the lead Vong was.

_Next thing: take out their commander!_ Achilles thought to himself. Then he noticed missiles headed for the Yuuzhan Vong Worldship and he knew these to be Triclops'. If the Worldship was brought down and the Commander killed, the Yuuzhan Vong had no hope. However, before he could do anything against their commander, he came under attack from above and behind.

Judging by the occasional poking sensations he felt on the back of his neck, he suspected that it was something alive that was trying to peck or claw at him. Wind behind him also betrayed wings, indicating that something with wings was attacking him as well. So when he rotated his arms to swat at it, he wasn't surprised to see it back away from him quickly. Nor was he surprised, when he was able to turn around, that it was a Yuuzhan Vong with wing implants.

_Talk about a rat with wings_ Achilles thought silently as it circled around in search of another opportunity to attack him. The sensation of pecking or clawing that he had felt before had actually been its attempts to drive the talons on its feet into him. It circled around slowly, giving Achilles enough time to notice a slab of marble next to him and the remnants of a pillar. He was also able to observe a spike jettisoning out of the pillar that looked like it could really do some damage if it was used successfully.

So when the winged Vong made another attempt to attack him, Achilles simply waited until it was closing in with talons facing forward. Then, at the last possible moment, he sideswept a hundred and eighty degrees then grabbed it with both left hands. Upon doing so, he slammed it into the marble slab hard enough to shatter its spine from the neck down. But even after doing that, he still had enough forward momentum to bring it unto the spike, impaling it.

It didn't die outright but it wasn't going to be able to pull its way out of the spike any time soon. When he knew it wouldn't escape, he took the time to notice that he had slammed it so hard that when he impaled it, pieces of the remaining pillar jettisoned out the other side. Granted, the remnants of the pillar served no further purpose but even so, he'd managed to score a hit so powerful that even if the spike hadn't been there, the creature wouldn't be able to move. It died within a matter of moments as he victoriously watched and took a few moments to rest while he was at it.

However, the Yuuzhan Vong didn't permit him to rest long as they kept shooting at him with their amphistaff lasers and forcing him to use his remaining lightsabers. But because his armor had been halfway stripped and he'd exhausted most of his power, his defense wasn't great. In fact, he was starting to get so bad that Hemera had to save him with shots from her blaster pistol and grenade launcher so that he wouldn't die right there. "Take me to the Commander's little outpost, I want to push it into the cliffs and see him dead!" Achilles exclaimed.

"You won't make it by yourself, not in your condition!" Hemera replied. "Then keep the warlord and his men company while I push their stairway/outpost over the cliffs. I've got backup power cells that will help me do it but I'm not sure how I'll survive afterwards," he ordered. "I'll not let you kill yourself, though suffering heavy casualties, we're winning!" she snapped.

"The heavy casualties will become an utterly exterminated army if I don't do this, now move and keep them busy! Kriffing hell, Hemera, it's not about us anymore!" he growled. Hemera only nodded and decided to unload her last clip on her pistols as well as unleashed the last of her grenades from her double-barreled grenade launcher before moving onto the finale. When she did, Achilles noticed there were only two lieutenants left at the warlord's defenses but she took care of them.

She did so by using the hatches in her arms to shoot out her silver-bladed lightsabers at them, gutting them before they could muster a defense. Then she kept the warlord himself busy with her darksaber while Achilles marched (and somewhat limped) to the outpost. As he heard Hemera's darksaber clash against a metal sword, Achilles placed his hands on the rim of the post. Feeling around for where it would be best to push, he spread his arms wide as he could before beginning to heave his full weight forward.

Because it was biomechanical, the outpost fought against him, trying desperately to keep its place where it was. However, Achilles' cybernetics allowed him to unlatch it from the soft soil below their feet and heave it closer to the cliffs with every push. He suspected that Hemera and the warlord felt it when he uprooted the outpost but it didn't matter. All Hemera had to do was keep her opponent focused on her until it was too late for him to save himself from death.

Thankfully, the haul wasn't all that long even if the struggle of the living outpost felt that way, sometimes. Finally, Achilles felt what seemed to be equivalent to the creatures back legs fall over the cliff edge then he made one last heave so that its weight would pull it over. Achilles fell to his hands and knees as the outpost slid up and over with the warlord still on its top. Hemera had managed to escape by using jets on her hands and feet to leap off and she landed right by him.

When they heard a great big thud, they knew the outpost had landed at the bottom of the ravine, likely crushing the warlord underneath its bulk. Meanwhile, the rest of the Yuuzhan Vong warriors fell into disarray even as many a crime family lost their entire army to the war. In fact, by the time that all the remaining Vong warriors died, only Death Watch remained. But even they had suffered heavy casualties among them though they weren't exterminated.

Achilles panted and noticed that even with the backup cells helping, he was already on the last of his mechanical powers. His organic heart had also been badly damaged and he didn't think he was going to be able to reach the Temple of the Prophets in time to heal it. "It's too late for me..." Achilles said as Hemera tried to get him back up. "No, we can get you fixed up," she told him.

"Don't bother with those lies, the temple is several miles away from here and I'm bleeding out of the heart that's been exposed by the absence of the chest plate. I designed for combat against Jedi or Sith, hence the one weakness in my shoulder... But I wasn't designed for facing something like this," he countered. She yielded that point but begged him to at least try to get back to the temple before he fell.

"You barely have enough power left for yourself without adding me unto your burdens. No, it's better to die this way, to die in the field of battle. Unlike you, I have two other souls harbored in this one body and they have battled for possession. Within me is the endurance of N-K Necrosis but the rage and cunning of General Grievous, two souls that aren't at peace. If I die, I take them to the grave with me and the three of us are all at peace," he continued.

"I don't think you dying alone will bring peace to all three souls. How about making sure that the three of you can never rise up again?" she suggested. Achilles caught her suggestion immediately and knew what she was meaning: throw himself over so he couldn't be recovered. Shrugging and deciding it wouldn't be a bad idea, he dragged himself up from the dirt and used almost all his remaining power just to reach the edge.

Then, with what remained after that, he turned his head around to thank Hemera for her friendship and tell her that he'd miss her. "How can you miss me if you're dead?" she asked. "Good point," he confessed. Then with that, his last ounce of power was used turning his head forward and when his systems shut down, he didn't resist his body's tumble over the cliff. The fall wasn't as long as it appeared and when he made contact with the river, he fell to pieces.

His organic parts were eventually found by aquatic carnivores that ate what they could get to. Eventually, the metal pieces scattered and rusted with the amount of water that eroded at it and eventually, the Kaleesh war mask was the only remnant that survived the elements. But even it eventually buried under enough mud for no one to find it even if they dug very deeply. The legacy of General Grievous and N-K Necrosis had met its end with Achilles though few, if anyone, would miss that legacy.

Triclops certainly didn't, as Hemera discovered when she returned to him and plugged herself up on her recharging systems. "He gave his life for you and this is how you repay it!?" she demanded. "I designed him specifically so that he would do that, his sacrifice proves only that he wasn't insubordinate to the design. But you, on the other hand, have a little more use to me than being a disposable juggernaut as he was," Triclops told her.

"And what use is that?" she asked him. "Well, my plans for an empire are at a ruin, thanks to the casualties we took when repelling the Yuuzhan Vong. I will need someone to serve me and do my dirty work until I can find the mask of Lord Nihilus. Actually, you'll be the one who helps me find it by seeing to it that anyone with information is found and utilized.

"Then, when every last bit of information that we can find has been squeezed out of them, we will eliminate them from the equation. First things first, though: we must head to Naboo and once again acquire the services of ex-Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore. She is the most reliable source of information on this kind of thing," Triclops said. "So would you like me to ready your ship for Naboo?" Hemera asked.

"No, ready the ship for Hoth: there's an Imperial penal colony I'd like to pay a visit to and have private access to," he answered. "Who's there?" she inquired. "A former associate of mine who was paid for working his, er, special charms on young ladies. He'll come in handy for persuading Satine to reveal what she knows when he threatens her daughter," he replied.

"But with all due respect, if he was sentenced to imprisonment at the colony, why are you going after him?" she continued. "He was only formally sentenced but in secret, I changed the terms of his sentence so that I could rely on his work when and where I wish," he replied. "So he's your hired rapist when you want to get an enemy to collaborate with you?" she asked. "Not exactly subtle but yes, he is my paid rapist for when I want someone with a child to cooperate.

"And we move to face someone who has a daughter, old enough to be sexually available to him. However, we will be sure to have protection available for him: he's been diagnosed with seven different STDs and I'm not crude enough to let him transmit them to her. She'll just be scarred for life by the experience of having someone take her while she was powerless to stop it. Now, no more questions: get the ship ready for Hoth and I mean now!" he ordered.

Though Hemera practically wanted to vomit, she didn't know that this was hardly the worst thing Triclops had ever done. During his days as a Crown Prince of the Empire, a pastime he had had was discovering new ways to torture someone and extract information from them. He had seen to the mass-rape of women and men alike or the threat of rape to extract information. Interestingly, he found the men more ready to collaborate with him than the women though even they were soon complacent when they saw that he meant every word he'd said.

However, even this was nothing compared to what he had done to others who were not afraid of being raped or had in fact been rapists themselves. For the males among these individuals, he devised the idea of a long and slow death that started with castration. After using a knife to cut their testes off, he continued the torture by then making them eat their tests raw. Some threw up even after they successfully did so but everyone who suffered this fat died from bleeding out their scrotum after nearly an hour to two hours.

When they had finished dying, Triclops would either use their bodies for meat that he'd feed his pet anoobas or (if he had guests) part of his main course in elaborate banquets. Granted, he seldom had guests but when he did, they were always unquestioning, obedient Senators. As such, he found it very easy to serve them meals made from his most recently killed victims. He even went as far as to choose which victims he served and which he didn't.

If it looked like he wasn't going to be able to serve up the meat immediately, he kept it in a massive freezer until he could then simply cooked it and served it to any and all his guests. While he became famed in the Senate for his hospitality, he became infamous for what he did among the people he supervised as his prisoners and his subjects of experimentation. However, there were food shortages amongst the prisoners and sometimes, he gave them the meat. That hadn't even begun to touch the surface of all Triclops had done that Hemera didn't know.

And as they lifted their ship from the surface of Dromund Kaas, he reflected on what he remembered. Then he decided that for now, it was best not to tell her about it and let it be at that.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Chapter Eighteen**

After several days of travel, Kendalina finally arrived to Dagobah though she had to dodge some tourists looking for the location of the Cave of Despair when she arrived. For whatever reason, Dagobah had become a historical site that people visited for research and fun. Finding the Cave by following the strongest signature of Dark Side energy on the planet, she was surprised to see it was under a tree. Nonetheless, she entered and saw whatever it was that the cave offered inside its dark heart.

At first, she saw nothing but it was as soon as she came to its center that she began to really see things. A black mist began forming around her as visions of her past came by, particularly visions of her collaborations with her brothers though these faded fast. When they did, visions of Kento falling to Lord Vader flew by and Vergent falling to Palpatine came too. Afterwards, she saw visions that she believed to be of the future as she saw members of the Kel Dor species fighting an ominous threat with Emerald Lightning and Force Pushes.

However, the threat soon engulfed them in red Force Lightning that she only recognized to be Triclops'. The dark figure that she suspected to be him also whipped out a lightsaber that looked like the design for Lord Nihilus' which further confirmed her suspicions. She heard the characteristic snarl of the Emperor and heard voices cry in agony as they fell before a red blade. Meanwhile, the black mist began to whirl around her faster and faster as she saw all these images and soon, she began hearing a voice faintly say "Nihilus", once or twice.

Then the mist began to glow red and form the image of Darth Nihilus' mask and headgear. The figure stood there for several moments then said, "Join me, there is no escape", before igniting a red lightsaber in front of the center of the mask. "No, no!" Kendalina said as she saw several Jedi fall in combat while the mask's image dissipated. Finally, when the images of slaughtered Jedi faded, the black mist whirled and transformed into a singular shape.

She recognized the shape it formed as her younger brother Vergent though she knew that it was an image of him as he would have appeared, if he had been corrupted by the Dark Side. "You failed us, Kendalina... me and Kento!" he said. "No Vergent, I didn't know you went to fight the Emperor nor did I know Kento had a son! If I had known, I would have come to defend him and his son on Kashyyyk, when Lord Vader came for them!" she said.

"You lie! Galen was taken by Vader and made into his secret apprentice because you never bothered to take the time to help Kento defeat the Sith Lord! Just like you couldn't have been bothered to help me face the Emperor when he came to Corellia," he mocked. "You don't understand Vergent, I was fighting my own battle against the Empire and I couldn't help.

"I thought you understood that!" she screamed. _No Kendalina, this is not the Vergent that you and I knew. Strike this phantom down before he persuades you to do something stupid, do it now!_ Qui-Gon's voice exclaimed from beyond the grave. Kendalina nodded, cleared her mind of her attachments to Vergent and recognized this phantom as a creation of the darkness here.

"You're not Vergent: Vergent is dead and it's not my fault he died. No more than it's my fault, what happened to Kento and my nephew, Galen!" she said aloud. The phantom of Vergent charged her with blade held high but she stood fast until the last possible moment. Then, when it seemed like it would have been impossible, she intercepted his blade as it came down.

After that, she twirled her blade in such a fashion that it snaked its way under phantom-Vergent's arms and severed the hands off. Upon doing so, Kendalina roundhouse kicked him in the chest, hard enough for him to walk back several steps. Once this happened, Kendalina leapt into the air and grabbed his lightsaber before placing her own in a reverse grip. Then she charged the phantom and plunged its own blade into its abdomen while wheeling around to stab it between the shoulder blades with her own lightsaber.

Upon completing this, the phantom of her brother turned into mist again and the mist dissipated into nothingness as she climbed her way out of the Cave of Despair. Heaving heavy breaths, she was surprised to hear Qui-Gon ask if she was alright. "I just need a moment to breathe but I'm alive, otherwise," she told him. _Good, take your moment to breathe but be ready to head to a transport toward your next destination as soon as possible_ he said.

"Where do I go from here?" she asked. _Travel to the well from which all life springs and enter it. There will be five enchantress sisters waiting for you and they shall help you cleanse your soul so that your training may begin_ he answered. "Is there information on the coordinates stored in a databank?" she inquired.

_No but I have what you need in my own repertoire of knowledge. I shall transfer the information into your head then it will be up to you to get there_ he explained. Sure enough, she felt a surge of Force energy enter her head in the form of images that gave her a clear idea. Somehow, she was accessing memories from Qui-Gon and seeing him type in the coordinates as he made his own journey to the wellspring of all life.

Nonetheless, she knew the coordinates as soon as the transfer was completed and when she did, she knew that she needed to find someone who could take her there. Someone with a suit that'd allow her to enter space without feeling the effects of the vacuum. After all, there was probably going to be no sense in inviting such a pilot to join her even if they came along anyway. To her surprise, and eternal delight, there was a freelance pilot with no destination except that of the highest bidder's.

So when she offered him a deposit of a hundred credits plus another two hundred if he'd stay for the entire length for which she needed him, he agreed. "I will type in the coordinates, you just simply need to set us up with the hyperspace ride. Can you do that for me?" she asked. As she typed in the coordinates, he told her that it would be a genuine pleasure but that only lasted until he noticed it was practically on the other side of the galaxy.

"Have a problem with that?" she inquired. "No, no problem at all, even if I'll need to make a fuel stop after we go to wherever we need to go after that. Will that be a problem, missie?" he replied. She shook her head no then he told her that they would now be entering lightspeed.

She felt the jolt, soon after he said that which meant that he was keeping his end of the bargain. It would be a long ride so Kendalina decided to get comfortable for the duration of it. She even considered the idea of meditating so that she could commune with Qui-Gon on further instructions when she arrived. However, the Spirit was silent this time and she wasn't sure whether to enjoy that or to miss hearing his voice even as she obeyed his instructions.

**Hoth was a blistering cold** planet whose winds tore into Hemera's circuits even as she wore thick coats for her protection. However, Triclops knew the power of Force Temperance and was able to keep warm even as the cold ravaged at Hemera's own artificial defenses. As they approached the entrance to the prison, two stormtroopers tried to stop them from entering. However, Triclops decided to waste no time in formalities, simply obliterating them with his red Force Lightning before using Telekinesis to open the door before them.

Once they entered, he applied telekinetic powers again to close it and when he did, they both beheld a line of stormtroopers on each flank. Two were likely assigned to each cells, hence the size of the lines but even this was a simple matter for the former Crown Prince of the Empire. Grabbing both lines entirely in the Force, he thrust them backwards into the wall and watched as the impact knocked the lights out of them for (very likely) several hours. "I thought you said you had clearance to enter the prison," Hemera said.

"I never said that: I only said that I rectified my employee's sentence so that I could rescue him at my leisure and employ him. Having been denounced as the Crown Prince, I'd still need to fight my way through to reach him even if I could still employ him," Triclops replied. Then he began looking on each side to all the inmates, condemned (very likely) to a life-sentence in this hellhole, for the man that he was needing. He found him on the very end, bored out of his wits which told Hemera he likely knew Triclops was coming long before they made eye contact.

"It's been a long time, old friend. Feel like doing one last job for me?" Triclops asked. "What kind of job?" the man, who revealed himself as Creon, replied. "Interrogation: I need you to be there to deliver on a rape threat should my subject not cooperate with me. Once I have what I need, feel free to kill them both or do with the younger girl as you please beforehand.

"Either way, I want them dead quicker than you can say 'What a blast!' once I have my information. Do we have an accord?" Triclops said. "One last item: how much are you paying me?" Creon insisted. "Your freedom from this, plus a bonus if you kill them quickly, regardless of what do with the young girl: details will be provided along the way," Triclops said.

"We have an accord then. Get me out and I'm your man," Creon replied. Triclops shut down the main powerframe long enough for the ray shield between them to drop. Once he did that, Creon stepped through and thanked Triclops for freeing him before they both marched out.

It was a simpler walk back to the ship than from it, thanks to their being no opposition at this point, but even so Creon still whined of the cold. "You will be safely inside a heated ship within a few moments!" Hemera sneered. She didn't know why but she was sincerely disgusted by the man and what Triclops had called him to do. When they were inside, Hemera immediately planted herself in the pilot seat while Triclops ordered her to put in the Naboo coordinates.

"Naboo? I haven't been there since I was a teenager!" Creon exclaimed. "Trust me, much has changed since you last went through Naboo but we're not going to Theed Palace. We're headed to one of the island retirement homes to see ex-Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore.

"Once her daughter is subdued, it will be your job to force yourself on her (with protection) if Satine doesn't cooperate with my wishes. Think you can handle that?" Triclops explained. "Sure, one subdued Force-sensitive is gonna learn the painful side of one of Humanity's favorite activities if her mama doesn't cooperate!" Creon snapped. Triclops smirked, knowing that his faith in his old servant had not been misplaced as a result of the years on Hoth.

The lightspeed trip to Naboo was a quick one though, given its proximity in the galaxy to the icy planet, and Hemera took them out of lightspeed upon closing in on Naboo. "This better be quick, I'd hate to be around for days just because this man wants his fun," Hemera warned. "Don't worry deary: Satine isn't one to take long in opening her mouth when she knows her daughter's legs will be forcibly opened by a man that she is not consensually joining herself to. Why would she want the last living relic of Obi-Wan Kenobi to be tainted by the likes of Creon?" Triclops countered.

"That supposed to be a compliment?" Creon inquired. "Yes and no: yes, because the threat of you taking her daughter will get her to talk. No, because she is Satine's love-child from Obi-Wan Kenobi, an honorable man among all Force-sensitives," Triclops confessed. Creon silenced himself at that remark and Hemera landed the ship where Triclops told her to land.

But it was Triclops, not Creon or Hemera, who stepped out of the ship first and unto grassy plain that preceded Satine's beautiful retirement home. To his surprise, Satine's daughter Akane was not outside though this may be because she had finished training for the day. But Sarcev Quest was outside and when he saw the trio, he attacked them immediately. _Surprised that the fool still recognizes me_ Triclops thought before sending Hemera to dispatch him.

"I will waste no time staining my hands with the blood of any unworthy opponent. Unworthy to me, anyway," he said before giving her the signal to charge. For this duel, Hemera only used a palm emitted beam that kept Quest pinned long enough for her to get her darksaber. Once she did that, she continued to keep it on him until she was close enough to begin a duel with him and keep him busy while Triclops and Creon proceeded without her.

"Akane, Satine, the coward Triclops has returned for you!" Sarcev shouted, both mocking Triclops and giving warning to the Kryze girls. No one opposed Triclops when he knocked down the front doors with telekinesis nor when he entered the house. But as soon as he saw Satine in her outdoor patio, the daughter leapt from the west side of the living room to fight. However, because she chose to leap at him and strike him from above, Triclops simply locked her in Force Choke and held her there as he greeted Satine.

"It's been a long time, old foe. How goes the day for you?" Triclops asked. "What do you want, you disgusting snake!" Satine hissed. "Just some information that you happen to possess and may have already given my son: I want to know where the mask of Darth Nihilus is.

"Can you do that for me?" Triclops replied. "Go to Hell, you coward! Drop my daughter and kill me yourself but you'll never get the information," Satine vowed. That was when Triclops chuckled an unsettling chuckle, making Satine ask him what was so funny.

"I didn't come here, expecting you to fear for your life during an interrogation. No, I came here expecting you to fear what will happen if I unleash my colleague here on your child. Before you ask what it is he can do, let's just say half his rap sheet includes the rape and sexual assault of women not much younger or older than your daughter and all of it under my payroll. You might not fear for yourself but do you fear for your daughter's mental and sexual stability?" he said.

Satine's eyes widened and Akane began begging her mother not to comply with him, telling her that it was better for her to give her life to protect the information. "My dear Akane, I don't intend to kill you myself. I intend to let my colleague have his way with you then slit your throat when he's finished. Your mother is too weak to oppose him in her old age, after all," Triclops told her.

Akane gasped under Triclops' Force Choke but he could distinctly hear her begging her mother not to tell, no matter what happened. "Well Satine, do you listen to your daughter or do you listen to me? Which is it?" Triclops demanded. He threw her against a wall with telekinesis then pinned her to the floor but told Creon not to make any moves just yet.

Satine swung her head back and forth, between Triclops and her daughter, her indecision and her fear clear on the expression she wore on her ninety-eight-year-old face. This continued long enough to where Triclops told Creon to go over to Akane and be ready to act on his orders. "I grow tired of asking and waiting so this will be the last time: where is the mask of Darth Nihilus!?" Triclops said, keeping his hold on Akane and emphasizing every word of his question. Satine broke down into tears when he stepped up to make this ultimatum and it didn't help any that his emphasis of the question came out with every word being halfway growled out.

The old, haggard woman sobbed through her hands and begged Triclops not to do it which drove the man furtherly impatient. "Even with those tears, you've impressed me as not caring enough for your daughter's health to save her. Creon, enjoy!" Triclops ordered before letting go of his telekinetic hold. But just as Creon had pinned her arms down and begun tearing at her clothes, Satine shouted for him to stop and said she would tell.

"Then don't keep us waiting in suspense: tell me before I change my mind," Triclops snarled, having ordered Creon to heed her. "It's..." Satine began. "No mother, don't tell him!" Akane screamed. "I must, Akane, I must!" Satine said.

Triclops smiled, encouraging her to collaborate though she could never know she wouldn't save her daughter even if she did. However, Triclops made a change his plans: rather than let Creon kill them both, he'd only take Satine's life and leave Akane to rot by herself. Besides the helplessness and guilt that her rape would have her feeling, she would have no soothing influence to stop her fall to madness. "The mask is with the Dai Bendu on the Kel Dor homeworld: their most powerful members guard it in the planet's capital city.

"Deep inside the temple near the city's center, you'll find the mask in a chest sealed with the Light Side of the Force. But I urge you not to go there: aside from the Council members personally watching over the mask, all their finest help them in this task," Satine told him. Triclops reflected carefully, somehow unsurprised that the Dai Bendu would oppose him: he'd been meaning to see them destroyed for sometime and now they gave him good reason. But even with all his own power, he doubt he could take on the strength of the Dai Bendu's finest alone.

_I think I will rebuild the droid portion of would have been my imperial army to a point where they could do most of the legwork on destroying the Dai Bendu. Once they do that, I will destroy the Councilmen myself and claim the mask for my own design_ he thought calmly. Granted, it would mean waiting a few more years but it would be worth it: he had a location now, so it was only a matter of time before he could seize the power that was rightly his to claim. "Your cooperation has been most appreciated, Satine," he began.

A pause fell on the entire room, the only sound being the distant clashing of blades between Sarcev and Hemera. However, Triclops was quick to speak up again and when he did, his words haunted the Kryze women. "Creon, have your way with Akane then return to my ship without killing her: I've had a change of mind about who dies today," he said. Before Satine could speak against him, he sent a wave of Force Destruction energy, vaporizing her instantly.

Without even a second thought or a glimmer of remorse, he marched past where Creon had torn Akane's clothes off, removed his own and began thrusting forcefully between her legs. He even made himself deaf to her screams of agony as she no doubt despised the feeling of his penis inside her without prior consent or desire to have it in her. Thankfully, Creon obeyed Triclops' request to wear protection so his seed would not pass on while she was made insane. Outside, Hemera had pinned Sarcev down and was only waiting to see if Triclops would approve her taking his life which he did by nodding in her direction.

"Wait for Creon to finish unleashing his earthly pleasures on Akane then make sure he never leaves this system alive. I'm afraid that his use has just expired and I did promise him freedom from Hoth, did I not?" he asked. Hemera lit up beauteously when she heard him say he wanted Creon dead and vowed it would be her genuine pleasure to obey his command. "And if I were you, I wouldn't even give him the grace and honor of dying by the blade," he added.

Hemera nodded, hinting that she had her pistol in its holster and he shrugged, believing that to be more befitting the rapist than letting a blade be used to cut him down. When he concluded that bit of business, he boarded his ship and took his usual passenger's seat. While Hemera wrapped up business here, he had to take some time to reflect on what Satine had said. The Dai Bendu were one of the few societies that could challenge the Jedi or the Sith on top of having remained almost unchanged for eons (even as the Jedi and Sith killed each other).

Destroying them at their heart would bear a significance greater, perhaps, than when his father had issued Order 66 on Yoda's Jedi Order. Not only were the Dai Bendu ancient and unchanged, they were also largely unarmed, relying entirely on the Force and martial arts. Granted, there were members that also served as Jedi but even with that noted, only about a dozen Dai Bendu (if that) had ever served as Jedi in their history. It would be an honor indeed to bring them down but it'd be even more honorable when done with a flawless plan set in motion.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Chapter Eighteen**

Cassandra was amazed to face such incredible success in her job of securing the Outer Rim with as light a dent in her numbers as she had been receiving. She had suffered some brief trouble in Hutt Space but she soon gained the favor of the Hutts and continue alongside them. When the worlds of significance (that were within Hutt Space) had been liberated, she quickly moved onto Gamorr and made her way through there and Rishi in no time. Even Bothawui, Tatooine, Geonosis were fine despite having to send a force to Rodia and Ryloth.

However, even though she had to send a force both worlds, it wasn't like she needed a large one in order to save both worlds and the outlying systems. Whenever Ken emerged out of his Battle Meditation trance, Cassandra voiced these concerns to him immediately. "Do you think they're coming from a different angle of the Outer Rim or the Unknown Regions? We haven't faced a lot of resistance on this side, so I'm curious to know what you think," she said.

"Well, the Unknown Regions (if passable) would be a good vantage point from which to launch a series of coordinated attacks: most of the galaxy has its back to them," he admitted. "But did the Yuuzhan Vong know that or were they coming from that angle because their own galaxy is in that direction?" she asked. Ken paused for a moment and confessed that that was a good point. "But they've brought their ruler over here as well as their entire force which tells you something about why they came from their own galaxy to here," he observed.

"Could they have been attacked by something else and the subsequent war decimated their homeland so badly that they had no choice but to come here?" she offered, very passively. "If we were to say that's the precise reason, then we'd have to dig a little further into how that war devastated their lands to such a degree. We'd also need to ask ourselves what could be so powerful as to put these things on the run and if we should ever need to worry about.

"Questions like that and the question of whether or not the war turned them from one thing into this current society they are linger. Some societies start out peaceful but then are so ravaged by the effects of long period of war that they get a taste for it. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of warrior societies, like the Mandalorians and the Wookiees, started out similarly," he said. "Could they have also just had a natural tendency toward violence at the very beginning, used it as strength to destroy everything immediately around then came here for more?" she offered.

"That's not implausible although there would have to be extremely savage circumstances in their evolution that called for such an instinct in the modern species called Yuuzhan Vong. Humans, for example, evolved from animal species that had a tendency to violence that served either as a survival instinct or a reason for predation of more peaceful critters," he replied. "Couldn't it have been both with Humans and species that branched off from them?" she inquired. "Probably about as much as it could have been one or both of those things for them as well.

"And given that there's no evidence of any two galaxies living in the same time zone (much as Manaan doesn't operate on the same time zone as Dantooine), it's plausible. For all we do know of them, the Yuuzhan Vong of the present could be more evolved Humans of the future. They retain the same basic design though they are sturdier and taller than most dialects of the species, Homo sapien. They're also masters of incredible biomechanical technology while we still rely entirely on pure-metal constructs for transportation and/or living space," he admitted.

"They do have mammalian features, which indicates a mammal and/or primate ancestor at some point in their genetic history. But let me ask you this: if your theory about them being the future of Humans is correct, wouldn't you say their psychological profile is backwater? That is, their psychological development has become primitive while their tech advanced," she asked. "Given that their desire for violence and their religious fanaticism is quite animalistic, that is a possibility.

"If we win the war, with that noted, we could try gathering a typical Yuuzhan Vong psychological profile, gather the weaknesses and then set our military to exploit those points. Just as a contingency, in case the Yuuzhan Vong decide they want to try and destroy our galaxy again, afterwards," he confessed. "We could make a petition to the elected leader of our government, requesting permission to research the Yuuzhan Vong to that end. We'd just have to make sure the Vong themselves don't know why we're doing it until we get what we need.

"After all, if they discovered we were gathering information on their psychological profile as a contingency for future incursions with them, it could enrage them further. Peace would become hard to maintain, if not practically impossible at that point," she agreed. "Even getting a blood sample for DNA testing would be difficult without risking that," he added. "We could always gather a blood sample from a warrior who's dying in this war," she offered.

"Indeed: if we did it that way, there'd be no opposition toward us and it wouldn't jeopardize the success of any peace missions except if word of it got out. Do you think you could see about getting a sample?" he asked. "We'd probably have to do it during any incursions we have with them at Csilla but it's worth a shot. Granted, getting a sample from a dead warrior on the planet's surface would be best but the cold vacuum of space protects a sample just as well.

"Only trick is that I'd have to be subtle about how I get that sample, regardless of what kind of location at which I could find a suitable candidate," she answered. "Leave that part to me: Pellaeon still thinks I conspire to inherit the Empire and that could be useful. For keeping him and his Imperials quiet about anything we do, at least," he told her. In the meantime, they agreed to keep to their sweep, get their sample, and bring the NR that much closer to victory.

Both knew the only way of truly defeating the Yuuzhan Vong was understanding them on at least a scientific level, if a personal level was impossible. Given their exclusion of outsiders, the latter was indeed looking fruitless but Cassandra's plan for the former had promise. However, Ken soon went back to his Battle Meditation and Cassandra was kept busy with planning strategies for upcoming battles with Pellaeon. Both had a feeling that was the way it was going to be for a long time yet but fortunately, they didn't mind: both felt very at home here.

**Triclops continued to ponder** a plan for his visit to the Dai Bendu as Creon just barely finished a forty-minute session of raping Satine Kryze's daughter (by Master Kenobi), Akane. He didn't need Hemera to inquire for him to know that it would secure her fall to insanity with Satine and Sarcev dead now. Even so, he was given a glimmer of happiness and joy when he watched Hemera obey his order down to shooting Creon at the bridge of his nose with her pistol. He knew why she did that too: even if he survived the trauma and heat of the initial shot, the angle at which the bolt traveled toward him ensured a piece of cartilage impaling his brain.

If he survived the initial shot, he would be dead within seconds once the cartilage did its number on his brain. But the part that pleased him best was that Hemera didn't even bother making any improvised funeral arrangements for him or Sarcev: who had time or need? A chuckle rumbled forth especially when he saw her mouth, "There's your bonus", to Creon. _She's becoming more the uncaring killer that I hoped for, every hour now_ he thought, grinning outside.

When she boarded the ship, however, he was surprised to hear her ask what they were to do next. "Are we going to pay the Dai Bendu a visit?" she asked. Triclops thought carefully about how he would answer her because it was tempting, now that he had a location. At the same time, he knew that if he gave into the temptation now, he would surely be doomed to fail and die.

Though they were pacifistic by default nature, the Dai Bendu had no middle ground or quarrel with taking the life of someone they deemed beyond redemption as they'd deem him. With that noted, the decision for whether or not to seek out the Dai Bendu immediately became clear in only one way and that was the way he'd travel. "No Hemera, we will be patient and rebuild our droid army since the foundries were unharmed. I've waited so many years to even have a location for the mask, I can wait a little while longer to claim its power," he told her.

Hemera, nonetheless, objected to that idea with her reservations about waiting. "If we go back to Dromund Kaas to rebuild our army, if could eventually turn Jedi eyes toward us. They could send someone to renew the investigations as to whether or not you survived!" she shouted. He chuckled, having had no thought to the fact that nearly all the galaxy still presumed him dead and those who suspected or knew he was alive either couldn't confirm it or died respectively.

"What makes you thinking I'm not counting on that?" he asked. She hesitated to answer because they both knew that was at least partly true. Triclops was counting on the likes of, for instance, his son, his ex-wife, or one of the Skywalker-Solo family seeking him among all Jedi. And why not, given that they were the only ones even remotely capable of holding their own against him or even defeating him as his son and ex-wife had done more than once?

"Triclops, you can't possibly anticipate every last move in the galaxy!" she warned. "No I can't, so I choose to focus on the movements of the galaxy that jeopardize my plans. It is for that reason that I chose to go back on my bargain with the Yuuzhan Vong," he replied calmly. He knew why she'd say that, too: she'd think her conspiracy talks with Achilles were secret when he actually had caught every word on security holograms for reviewing at another time.

"What about move that you think won't trouble you later but actually comes forth to challenge you later?" she countered. "I deal with the threat as it comes: it's much better planning than what my father did, given he tried to anticipate every last move in the galaxy. That includes the movements in the galaxy that held no threat to him nor one I couldn't eliminate for him. Reflect on that before you decide to question my reasons for my actions," he explained.

He considered telling her about what the treasonous plots he had recorded her developing with Achilles but that would have spoiled the fun of surprising her with cold anticipation. Most likely, she would try to attack him when she thought was most vulnerable only to be made wrong. What better time to crush an enemy's hopes of victory or even survival than surprising them with the strength of gods, right as you looked your most vulnerable, after all? No, better to catch her by surprise and make sure she regretted trying to kill him after her usefulness expired.

**Kendalina finally arrived to** the wellspring from which all life germinated in the galaxy and asked the pilot if he had a suit that would allow her to enter space. He said he had a spare but he wasn't sure if it'd fit her given that her head only reached to his chest. "I'm sure you got one of those universal suits that can be made to work for everyone," she told him. Shrugging, he fumbled through the suits he had and found one with a tag that said universal.

Once he found such a suit, he helped her into it since she still suffered from signs of the disease that had crippled her for years on end, including limited mobility among others. "Alright lady, here's the safety line which should last you until you're ready to touch down on the ground. I don't know where you'd be able to put aside your suit once you do but it's probably best I let you worry about that, isn't it?" he asked her. She nodded yes and thanked him for all his help, before plunging into the void of space for the first time in many years.

In fact, she recalled the last time she did this as well: it had been sometime during the tail end of the years before the Battle of Yavin 4, just before she became pregnant with her only son. It'd been during an espionage mission she ran for the rebels over Teth and it had been deception tactic. The thickness of her suit fooled Star Destroyer scanners into thinking she was dead until she was well within capacity to board the ship and hack into its private information center. There, she'd found out about Order 66 and its creation as well as the movements of the Death Star after its completion.

Her mission a success, she did what she could to leave before anyone was alerted to what she had done and she continued to float in space until she found a Rebel base. She had even gone as far as to meditate the whole way in order to conserve energy, despite having to watch out. Had she not occasionally awakened during her travels, she would flown right into a star and perished. Nonetheless, the mission was a success (something Triclops later told her had been because he ordered the Imperial crew to leave her, enforcing it as Crown Prince) and her pregnancy began.

This time, however, she was doing this without his treacherous aid or anyone else's more honest assistance and she actually liked that idea. Unlike before, her line was long but it wasn't quite long enough for her to completely go through the atmosphere but that mattered little. She disconnected herself from the line and continued with the assistance of her jetpack. But she was surprised when it began to malfunction for a moment though she remembered it wasn't living.

Rather than fight the force field that guarded all sentient life within from the machines of what was outside, she shut off her jetpack and let it take her in. When she landed, she was amazed at the radiant beauty of all that was around her. _So this is the fountain of life, the place where it all begins in our galaxy_ she thought happily. "Welcome Mistress Kendalina, we have been waiting for you since your birth," said a foreign female voice.

The transfer of knowledge that Qui-Gon Jinn had given her ensured that she recognized this as the deity who called herself Serenity and indeed her face looked very serene. It wasn't long before the other Priestesses followed suit in appearing and at once, Kendalina spoke. "You have been expecting me?" she asked. "As we expected Qui-Gon Jinn and Master Yoda, before you," Serenity answered.

"Isn't she a little bit smaller than Qui-Gon?" Confusion inquired. "Yes but she doesn't quite have Yoda's cuteness. Still, she is adorable!" Joy squealed. _Um, hey, no lesbo advances please: I already have an ex-husband and a son_ Kendalina thought but didn't say.

"You think all who come here are adorable!" Anger screamed. "Um, hate to interrupt your family squabbling but can you tell me where I begin my training?" Kendalina interjected. Already, her expectations had disappointed her: she had been hoping to have to enter a geyser before getting to this world but she suspected that she might have already gone through it. Would've been logical given that she allowed the Force itself to steer her through and she might have fallen into the geyser during that time.

"Are you ready to know yourself, Kendalina?" Serenity asked. "I am ready to at least know what I don't know about myself yet. I am ready to learn that which lies beyond my sight about my own self even if the truth is terrifying," Kendalina answered. "Then proceed to the Island of Fear and face your hubris as Yoda and Qui-Gon did before you," Serenity said.

As she spoke, she pointed to an island floating amidst all the greenery and midi-chlorians (which looked like huge fireflies more than anything) and insisted that was it. Joy and Sadness begged her not to enter as did Confusion but Anger and Serenity urged her onward. _Once more into the breach, dear brothers_ Kendalina silently joked. However, she leapt across the pads that'd help her reach the island with the aid of the Force and it wasn't long before she reached it.

When she arrived though, she initially heard and saw nothing that she suspected would be a part of her test but she cleared her mind and opened herself up to the Force, entirely. After she did that, she was hearing a voice calling to her and she confessed it sounded dangerous. However, she also remembered how Qui-Gon defeated this phantom (though whether or not he meant to transfer so much knowledge remained to be seen) and began to act. "Whatever you are, I embrace as a part of me: you are my inner darkness but you have no power over me.

"Come and embrace me, demon," she said. "But only you are Kendalina Nion Palpatine, I am but a multifaced phantom. I am part of all living things, sentient or not, and you say that I am a part of you?" the demon said, emerging forth with her dimensions. However, she had fiery orange eyes that glowed radiantly and churning black smoke made up its body.

"To deny that you are a part of me is to contradict who you are. You are a part of all living things and I am not dead, am I correct?" she countered. This brought the spirit closer to her and it was enough for her to touch the phantom and begin to absorb it into her being. Briefly, she glowed a bright orange light and when it passed, she sensed the island was empty to her.

The Priestess known as Serenity appeared before her again and congratulated her on passing her first test and said it was time to face her own. "Come with me and I shall take you to where the next test shall be initiated. There, you must enter without fear, without any emotion, if you are to survive: temptation will be powerful but you mustn't yield. Yield and you will never return to all that you know: you will be trapped in a limbo to the end of time," Serenity warned.

Kendalina gulped, realizing she'd probably reached the limit of what Qui-Gon had to offer her in his knowledge transfer which left her on her own. She was taking to the place where she would be tested again through means of teleportation and she was asked to enter. "I will meet you on the other side, if you succeed," Serenity added. "I'm guessing that no two people who have sought you out have had the same exact version of a test or delivery to them," Kendalina said.

"No and we are aware of the illness that you have only recently managed to largely overcome that disability though your legs still need some rest, every now and again. Hence, why we teleported you here," Serenity admitted. Kendalina smiled, thanked her, then entered the cave alone before the Priestesses could say anything else. But she did hear Anger and Confusion call her brave (though the former also called it stupidity) and Sadness almost begged her not to go.

After they left, however, Kendalina confessed that she was actually beginning to like these entities (with Anger and Confusion, being exceptions). But it seemed as though the thought itself invoked images to surface before her, images that took form and substance. They became so real that she almost thought she was in an entirely different place from whence she had come. On one side, she saw Cassandra wrestling with the Solo children and on the other, something amazing.

Luke, Ken, and Triclops were actually having a peaceful discussion and getting along, something she dreamed of for years. "So peaceful here, as it was before everything went to hell," Kendalina confessed aloud. "What went to hell, sister?" she heard her brother Kento say behind her. She wheeled around to see him alongside his son, Galen, and Galen's mother which was something she'd never seen before.

"You mean to tell me there's nothing going on? No war with the Yuuzhan Vong, nothing with the Empire?" she asked. Kento shook his head and stated that there was only peace and tranquility. At that point, she decided to see what Triclops, Ken, and Luke were talking about though she soon learned that Triclops was telling their son and Luke something embarrassing.

"I was telling them of the time you tried to prank me into believing stormtroopers had found us when, in truth, it was a bunch of natives with stormtrooper helmets. They were meant to throw water balloons at me but I teleported out of the way and you got the full blast," he said. Kendalina smiled, despite being humiliated at that and when Triclops made to continue, Luke told him that it was time to join the others which compelled him to ask her if she'd do that too. At first, she made to take him up on his request and had to admit that she almost saw no reason why not but that was when she remembered the reality and it swung back at her hard.


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Chapter Twenty**

The reality of all that was going on in the galaxy brought Kendalina back to her senses when she nearly fell for the temptation that Serenity had warned her about. Before joining the spectres of Triclops, Luke, Ken, and many others in the Limbo, she put her foot down and spoke. "No, this is wrong! Kento, I know you and your entire family to be dead!

"And Triclops, I didn't receive the full blast of that water balloon prank: I used the Force to stop them all before a single one even touched me! Oh and am I forgetting what a traitor you turned out to be for me and your own son!? Anakin Solo, you sacrificed yourself to save your brother and sister on Myrkr, to the grief of your siblings and Cassandra," she exclaimed proudly. All turned to darkness and while every figure except for Triclops was pulled into a vortex, he ignited a red saber.

"No, this is all an illusion: you never had the stomach to kill me, Triclops, and you won't while you're still lacking the mask of Darth Nihilus," she mocked calmly. The spectre of Triclops leapt for her, ready to cut her down but her fervent belief in the truth prevailed. A bright white light covered her for several moments but soon, she emerged from it unharmed. To her delight, she found herself on the other side of the cave, having succeeded in her second test.

"Well done, Kendalina, you are almost ready to be trained in the art of transcending death. But be warned that the last test is located where we cannot help you and so, it now falls to Master Yoda to supervise your journey," Serenity said when she emerged behind Kendalina. "I have no quarrel with that: my admiration for Yoda runs deeply," replied the Jedi Princess. "Then prepare for a journey to Ziost, a temporary successor to Moraband as a Sith homeworld.

"There, you will confront the spirits of three long-lost Masters of the Dark Side, two of whom will try to manipulate the threads of Time itself and change your destiny for the worst. Defeat them and defeat the third for in doing so, you will be allowed to begin your training," Serenity said. Kendalina tried to think of which three she could be fighting: Ludo Kressh had been entombed on Ziost, as had Ajunta Pall (one of the Exiles) and more recent ones like Malak. Granted, several of these Sith Lords didn't have actual bodies in their coffins but relics that they had touched in life did just as well once the funeral rites were recited.

It allowed them (and others like Rivan and Ruin) to have a place they could fall back on when their physical forms were destroyed. So Serenity's comment about three spirits waiting to destroy her by changing the thread of her fate didn't narrow the list down. Nonetheless, she agreed to this and when she came back to the spot where she came from, she flew directly up. As she suspected, she had fallen into the geyser on her way in and used her remaining jetpack fuel to get back up.

Thanks to the suit, she felt nothing except for her body rubbing against the line she had used for her initial descent which was about all she wanted to feel. Yanking on it in morse code for "I'm done here", she connected it back to her jetpack and let herself be pulled up. When she returned, the pilot asked her how it was down there, she told him it was a blast which was the truth. "But now, I need you to take me to one more place before we part ways forever: do you know how to reach Ziost or know someone who does?" Kendalina asked.

"Lady, I'm one of the few smugglers who's traveled into Ziost and lived to tell about it. I didn't even get all the way to the Temple before I was hightailing it in the opposite direction. Don't go there, lady, Ziost and Moraband are two planets you don't want to mess with unless you're prepared to die!" he warned. "I'm old enough to where if I died, it wouldn't be as significant as it would be if my son died instead.

"Take me to Ziost but don't go with me if you don't want to. It makes sense that you'd hightail it out of what actually is a Jedi's work and not a smuggler's, after all," she replied. She produced her lightsaber and ignited its green blade for a few brief moments then shut it down. Raising an eyebrow and smirking, the smuggler admired her perseverance and promised to take her to Ziost though he wouldn't go with her into the depths of its abandoned cities.

"The Force will tell me which one it would like me to go to and then I shall direct you there. Once I know where to go, drop me off as close to the temple as you can then go ahead and fly to a safer landing area until I call for you," she told him. He nodded and decided to punch in the coordinates for Ziost with a vow to use his emergency fuel upon arriving. "Prepare for lightspeed," he said, just as Kendalina was sitting down and strapping in.

Soon as she did, the pilot pulled the lever that launched them into lightspeed and again the array of white light covered the viewport. It was a beautiful display that eventually turned into a kind of blue fire-like tunnel with a white center. Kendalina didn't know why but she had a feeling of ominous presentiment which told her that this one of the last times, she'd see this. She couldn't quite understand why that was so but she trusted that she would find out soon enough.

**Though Cassandra had almost** completed her job of liberating worlds in the entire Outer Rim region, she wasn't about to recklessly dive into the last part. So when she had a chance, she asked Pellaeon to send probe droids near Csilla and see what they'd be dealing with. To her surprise, she noticed that they would actually be attempting to demolish enemy outposts. "More than that, it's the floating outposts they use for a successful forward advancement.

"These levitating bases are the exact reason that the Yuuzhan Vong are able to spread across the galaxy as quickly as they do," she observed. "They're not just forward outpost bases for their advancement unto the galaxy. They also seem to serve as equivalents to our fuel stops (to their ships) so that all their fleets are ready to destroy us after such a long travel," Ken said. Pellaeon looked at the data and confessed that he didn't seem to like what it was indicating to him, at least.

"It does look grim, I agree, but I do believe I have an idea that can help stem the tide for the Chiss forces and the Imperials already there. At best, Pellaeon's forces would only be able to destroy one and damage another of the four outposts that I'm seeing here. The Chiss can finish off the damaged one but I was thinking, for the remainder, Pellaeon would give way to us. Think about it, the Yuuzhan Vong would be expecting more Imperials but not an NR fleet," she replied.

"They didn't see any NR forces making their way toward the Outer Rim, so they don't know why their outposts there are down. However, they will know when they see us on the battlefield and the surprise from our attack would allow us to unite with the Chiss against them. With the combined strength of the Chiss Ascendancy, entire Imperial Remnant (though they're strained as can be), and the finest New Republic fleet, they don't stand a chance," Ken guessed. Cassandra nodded, telling her that's exactly what she was aiming for with her idea and Pellaeon really lit up with enthusiasm.

But he still had his questions though these were questions that Cassandra could still answer. "Let's say I go along with your strategy, how would you have us divide our forces at the moment that I give way to you?" he asked. "Once you give way, the job of your starfighters will be to aid the ones already there in facing off the coralskippers and other Vong counterparts. Your Star Destroyers will serve as assistance to the ones also there in facing down the worldships.

"While you're rendering aid to your fellow Imperials, my starfighters will go around to Csilla and reinforce the Chiss starfighters defending their system. As for our cruisers, leave the outposts to them: while we have the element of surprise, we can destroy one with ease," she said. "Destroying the outposts will strike a devastating blow to the Yuuzhan Vong army and the destruction of any reinforcing fleets will do little to help them recover. Any forces already in Known Space, would have to retreat into a world where we can watch them to survive.

"It would all but ensure that we can take immediate action to prevent them from becoming a threat again, once we win this war," Ken continued. "Exactly," Cassandra admitted. "We're essentially taking the war to them, now... I'm in," Pellaeon stated proudly.

"Send a messenger droid to the head or heads of the Chiss government and inform them of the strategy. I don't want them striking at my starfighters when we're just coming to help them," Cassandra requested. The trio bowed a bow of respect to each other and Ken actually decided to ask Cassandra a question or two. So they marched to the meditation chamber she had made for him and he began his inquiry there.

"Cassandra, I've been seeing nothing but _incredible_ strategical movements from you. It's almost like you're the ultimate tactical mind as well as the best with a blade and martial arts. What's your secret?" he asked. "Well, you know about my blade skills since you trained me and you know about my martial arts since I told you about my mother's holovid recordings.

"However, the secret to my strategy skills has actually been playing a lot of tactical mind games and reading a lot of books about how wars were fought and won. Though we haven't had to fight any land battles, my research did include them in the event that I'd have to lead one. I even read a couple books you recommended to me, including _The Art of War_," she explained. "And you managed to retain the information in all those books for usage in combat?" he continued.

"The information would have been all but useless were it not for the pictures of formations and counter-formations that were given in several of the books that I read on them. Actually, I'd sometimes even practice the counter-formations whenever I was presented with the strategical outlines they were designed to counter," she replied. "That sounds exactly the same as how I was able to retain all the information when I did the same research as you. Incredible Cassandra, that's exploiting the autistic person's ability to remember to the fullest," he stated.

"So I'm not exactly cursed when it comes to my very excellent memory?" she asked him. "Yes and no: yes because the memories you retain can be the most wicked ever imagined by man. No, because you have more power than most to make use of both good and bad memories from the past for improvement of yourself in the future," he replied. "Do you have the ability to hold me in such high esteem because we're so much alike in how we think?" she inquired.

"To be honest Cassandra, you have always struck me as the type of person who'd have been my best student with or without the natural likeness to me. Granted, you mightn't have been this multitalented were it not for your autism but you'd have still been my finest," he admitted. "To be honest, I feel very honored you'd say that to me, Ken: not a lot of people tell me that kind of compliment even if they'll blab on and on about how much they admire me," she stated. "The people who do that are the sheep of this galaxy while we are the wolves and lions.

"We are the ones who know that our powers can be used for either the destruction of the sheep and the demise of all that's good in the universe but choose to protect what's most fragile. Minds like yours and mine are the superior ones yet we choose not to flaunt it until we have a moment to truly show the beauty of it in a way that the sheep will adore to the end of time. I found my path to that in the heat of battle and now, so have you," he told her. "Funny, I would have thought that you'd find your crowd of sheep when you defeated your father," she said.

"You'd think so but there were many who feared that I only did it so I could all but cement my place as an infiltrator like my grandfather. Those same people thought that my father was the man I chose to sacrifice just so I could repeat my grandfather's actions but it's all untrue. If there was any reason I'd think logical to repeat the actions of my grandfather at the formation of the Empire would be because it was necessary for the good of the people," he confessed. "Yet even then, you can't entirely excuse the consequences of what he did," she said.

"No, it doesn't which is exactly why I'd only follow in Palpatine's footsteps if there truly was no other way to save the galaxy whether from an outside force like the Vong or from itself. I'll never pursue a repetition of my grandfather's actions for my own satisfaction or delight as he did," he vowed. "Well, now that you know my secret, you ready to strike the most decisive blow that the New Republic and Imperial Remnant have ever struck against our foe?" she asked. Ken nodded and told her he'd be returning to his Battle Meditation as soon as he sensed they arrived.

"Prepare all ships for a lightspeed trip to the Unknown Regions and the Csilla system! May the Force be with us, once we arrive at the coordinates that our probe droids have delivered us," she shouted to everyone. As soon as the ships jumped to lightspeed, Cassandra decided that she'd remain at attention on her ship just to give inspiration. Though she had had fun in the previous battles, she was actually starting to feel crazy and excited for this upcoming one.

**Triclops was still plotting** and scheming as his droid army was being rebuilt when he sensed something strange. Images flashed across his eyes, one of them of Kendalina and another of a ship flying over ruins on Ziost which immediately told him what was going on. Kendalina had come to Ziost although her reason for coming was not known to the three-eyed mutant. However, she had long severed her bond with him when he betrayed her and nearly killed her, shortly after their son turned sixteen, so it wasn't like he could attempt the ritual on her.

Even with that noted, though, he knew that he still had one asset left that he could use against her. Hemera was at the peak of her artificially-enhanced strength while Kendalina was growing older and feebler despite recovering from the vicious bone disease that had crippled her. If Triclops wished, Hemera could be made to go to Ziost and eliminate Kendalina upon arriving. But that would gain him nothing unless he had her extract her purpose for arriving to such an ancient and foreboding cradle of Sith power as Ziost was.

Yet Hemera would be such an obvious spy if she were sent to observe and/or eliminate Kendalina upon coming to Ziost herself so Triclops needed a different tactic. He would need to rely on his old power as an Emperor's Eye to reach a native creature of Ziost for observation. Once connected with the creature's mind, he would make it head to where he had foreseen Kendalina heading on the planet and watch her until he learned what he needed to learn from it. The best possible creatures for that purpose were the ravens that lived near that temple which was all the more convenient for him.

Meditating, he reached out with ripples of telepathic energy that promised immense power for the bird that gave him possession of their sight. What would be unbeknownst to any bird, however, was that once he got what he needed, he'd make the volunteer internally combust. Admittedly, it would alert Kendalina to his continued existence (he personally saw to it that he was the only Emperor's Eye alive for this reason) but it mattered not since she could do nothing. _Nothing except, perhaps, pursue me and attempt to do what only our son has ever been successful at doing: defeating me in single combat_ he joked, smugly.

"Hemera, keep the droid production supervised and have the units successfully constructed act to protect their foundries of creation. Even if they see no combat until we face the Dai Bendu, it's better to have them ready to fight for us than have them shut off," he ordered. "Yes Master," she replied. _So respectful toward me... is it because I allowed her to kill Creon or she suspects that I know of her conspiracy talks with Achilles?_ he asked himself.

Now Achilles was one creation of his scientific inquiries that he regretted casting aside so shamelessly. The cyborg had all the genius and skill of General Grievous, all the ability for emotional attachments that N-K Necrosis had, and the bulk of Kueller. He even had a few other gadgets that actually gave him much more speed and agility than his bulk would normally allow. But Achilles died fulfilling a purpose in Triclops' vision for obtaining the mask of Darth Nihilus and cleansing the universe of the filth that inhabited it now.

Nonetheless, even the knowledge that he'd become the most powerful mortal in all the cosmos wasn't enough: he'd still be second best to the Chronicler, creator of the Mortis Triam. The Chronicler still had the power to stop him from entirely destroying the cosmos and plunging the universe into Chaos but it wasn't like he had jurisdiction to stop him for doing anything else. He also retained the power to influence those who would stop any mortal or spirit that would dare tamper with the Flow of Time, his quintessential domain. But Triclops didn't need to cross into the Flow of Time itself and challenge the Chronicler to fulfill its goal.

It just had to be written in his destiny that he would destroy the universe and reshape it in his image. Granted, the omnipotence he bore in his domain did ensure that he could also make create people who would ruin Triclops' paradise and return the galaxy to its present state. _Just to have that power, however, the promise of immortality and the ability to darken the universe! Even for what is but a wink in the life of the cosmos, a dream, or an illusion in the minds of the immortals._

_Oh, how I tingle with excitement at the prospect of all that power! And it's just barely out of my grasp thanks to the damned Dai Bendu and in a chest sealed by the power of the Light! They have ensured that their suffering will be beyond measure when I come for them_ he thought angrily. As he proclaimed these thoughts, he forgot that they sometimes transmitted across space with the ripples he had sent in hopes of finding a worthy bird-eye on Ziost.

But it seemed that mattered little (if at all) for he found a willing host and applied his telepathic powers to ensnaring the poor animal. Once he secured his temporary hold, he had the bird fly as close to the entrance of the temple that he'd foreseen as he could. Then he had it continue conducting normal bird activities such as pecking the stone, in search of grub. Since Kendalina knew nothing of Ziost, she'd see no reason to suspect something wrong with this.

However, just in case he was wrong about his ex-wife, he also had it use its beak to scratch parasites out of its wings and legs which was definitely a normal bird behavior. When all that was said and done, Triclops simply decided he would keep the meditation up until she left. It was the only way to know or suspect what she had come for. That was when it hit him, though: the only way to find out why she had come was if he had the bird follow her inside the temple.

Or at least, follow her inside as far as the spirits would allow the bird to go but that was something he'd worry about when it became an issue. After all, depending on what Kendalina came for, she could be still trying to hinder his plans for the galaxy and his lifelong ambition. _I will not have you denying me the mask of Darth Nihilus, Kendalina. Far too long have I lived a life where I was deemed inferior even by those I loved!_ he mentally hissed.

Thankfully, these thoughts could not be heard or even sensed from within the bird and Triclops was free to rave about his hatred for Kendalina as much as he wished. Though he didn't know or care about it, Hemera could hear him verbally articulate every thought as well. Indeed, it would inspire her curiosity when he revived but that would be a trivial matter even then. Aside from their son, Kendalina had successfully thwarted whatever scheme of his she encountered.

Even though the power of the mask would help him ensure even Ken's demise at his hand, it wouldn't hurt to be ready to eliminate one pest a little early if it was necessary. _Knowing Kendalina, there ought to be a good reason why it wouldn't be necessary to eliminate her now. Hm... could she be attempting to learn something not previously taught to her by anyone?_ he thought carefully. For all his hatred of her, that was not an implausible road for her to traverse.


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

**Chapter Twenty-One**

To say that Tsavong Lah was infuriated by the disappearance of outposts in what the infidels called the 'Outer Rim' of the galaxy would have been an understatement. In fact, no words could describe the entire bound of his fury with this lack of competence. "Unacceptable! Where are my men in the Outer Rim and why have they not reported back to me!?" he demanded.

"Could it be possible that the outposts have been destroyed by the enemy?" Onimi interjected, having arrived to speak with the Warmaster again. "What would you know about it?" Tsavong replied. "I have been sensing many a death of our people across the galaxy and it's been caused by a force enhanced with the power of Battle Meditation," Onimi confessed. "Battle Meditation?" Tsavong inquired.

"Though a more advanced power called Battle Meld is available, Battle Meditation allows any who knows it to turn the tide of virtually any battle in their favor. Combined with strategic intelligence to match you and ten of your best, your men haven't stood a chance. Or so I'm picking up from what I've sensed through the Force," Onimi explained. "If you weren't the only one of our species who had the Force, I'd have asked to consult another.

"But I'm assuming that Vergere has likely sensed everything that you have already told me you've seen," Tsavong stated. "She was the one who actually asked me if I sensed what I told you about," Onimi confessed. Tsavong raised an eyebrow and nodded, not exactly believing Vergere to be the most trustworthy person in the universe. In fact, if anything, he didn't know who was less trustworthy between Onimi and Nom Anor as both proved very deceitful.

Granted, his father had indeed taken his chances with Nom Anor when Arden Lyn and her apprentice came through but since then, Nom had changed. Onimi changed (indeed) but only grew worse as he discovered more and more about his gift with his attunement to the Force. It was as if Vergere's influence made him more conniving, more power-hungry, more arrogant. But Tsavong would remedy this himself in due time, assuming he did not perish in this war first.

He was concerned for this because his father had been given his wish to die in battle at Belsevias, a planet the Yuuzhan Vong had taken but was then recovered by the enemy Outsiders. In the process of recovery, Czulkang's cruiser had been destroyed while he was still on it, leaving a void in the hearts of all Yuuzhan Vong though none were as big as the one left in him. Tsavong had had his disagreements with his father (like any other father and son would) but that had never stopped Tsavong from respecting, admiring, even "loving" his , the old man had died honorably and it was only appropriate that his son repeat his example.

Nonetheless, he turned his thoughts back to what Onimi said and thanked him for bringing it up to his attention. "Does the Supreme Overlord know of this development?" he asked. "You know Shimrra has no comprehension of anything related to the Force though you have seen if firsthand. You know what its power can allow its wielders to do, if they but put their minds to it," Onimi answered.

Tsavong nodded, knowing full well that Shimrra was an incompetent fool without Onimi placing a hand in his posterior and feeding words into his mind. It was that puppetry that made Tsavong wonder if Onimi was the one who really wanted the war and not Shimrra. In fact, he wondered if Onimi only had Shimrra in power because it was the best way to control the people. The reason for this was because Onimi and Tsavong both knew that the only way the former could hope for a chance of elevation was if he married someone in a higher caste.

His deformities, however, meant that hardly any woman would want him and it wasn't exactly exclusive knowledge that Onimi had killed his first wife as a test of his power. Nor was it rare knowledge that Onimi and Shimrra had been friends for most of their century-long lives. Those same people also knew that Shimrra had always been weaker of mind (but not of body) while Onimi was more conniving and patient though both were extraordinarily greedy. Now, Tsavong was beginning to wonder if that greed had made Onimi insane enough to declare war.

But Tsavong decided, in the end, that there was nothing for it except to believe Onimi for now and if he found proof to the contrary, he'd make a move against him. This war was costing their people more than Onimi and Shimrra could possibly know and they needed to pay. "Thank you for your developments, Onimi. I shall take them into consideration and make plans, according to what you've told me and according to what I can confirm," Tsavong told him.

"Is there nothing more that you require of me, Warmaster?" Onimi asked. "Go and continue to bend Shimrra over for your pleasure. Though your ideas are cursing our people to failure, the time has not yet come for anything to be done about it," Tsavong answered. Onimi bowed and thanked him for his time before vanishing into the darkness that surrounded them.

_How does he do that?_ Tsavong thought to himself silently. Grabbing his amphistaffs, he began to practice his skills with them against the empty air around him, remembering his father. He'd grown up with the man pushing him to succeed, pushing him to be the best of all other candidates vying for the crown of Warmaster. Czulkang even trained his son in the rare art of wielding two or more amphistaffs in simultaneity to each other for greater deadliness in battle.

But all that training seem to be in vain before these new beings with their lightsabers, blasters, and droids (the hated enemy of all Yuuzhan Vong). He even recalled (and practiced) the martial arts movements that his father taught him to utilize with his feet while using the staffs. Rage and vengeance filled his being to the core and he wanted nothing more than to make the Jedi who killed his father pay for their crimes. Oh how he would enjoy torturing and killing their loved ones, hearing them scream in the agony of their predicament before ending their lives.

**The jump out of** hyperspace was followed by blaster fire that made several of the cruisers shake slightly but Cassandra was able to rectify that situation soon enough. As the Imperials proceeded with their portion of the plan, Cassandra's messengers made contact with the Chiss. The Imperials beautifully executed their portion of the grand plan and the Chiss soon followed with cannon fire from their planetary stations and finished what they had started. When the remaining outposts attempted to fire on the Imperial fleet, IR gave way to the NR immediately.

A large bolt from one of the remaining outpost passed harmlessly and only damaged an escort-class Imperial frigate at best though not enough to impair its ability to fight. With that noted, the NR ships began to disperse for their parts in Cassandra's grand plan. While every last X-Wing, A-Wing, Y-Wing, and B-Wing reinforced the Chiss, the cruisers closed in. The element of surprise was used correctly and one of the last two outposts never stood a chance against them.

However, the crew on board the last one saw the fate of their compatriots and began putting up a larger fight. Cassandra noted a strange observation about the outpost and that was that it seemed like it could only protect one side at a time without severe strain on its defenses. With this observation, Cassandra ordered two of her CR90 corvettes to each flank as well as one of her Dauntless-class heavy cruisers to accompany them. The corvettes were outfitted with the best bolt firing blasters possible while the Dauntless had some of the best missile systems.

Meanwhile, her Assault Frigate (Mark I) was directed to face the last outpost directly so as to put as much strain on its ability to defend or attack as possible. "The Imperials must keep the fleets off our tails and the Chiss will have to join in, if they can't. That means sending our own starfighters with them, in order to make sure the Yuuzhan Vong don't bombard us!" Cassandra shouted. Even though Ken had gone back to applying Battle Meditation to everyone, this was the toughest battle that Cassandra had seen so far.

She was even considering the possibility of introducing some of the newer models of starfighters but she held off on this. Her crew were strained enough to keep up her strategy without more of its members being sent in starfighters to aid their comrades. Meantime, the Imperials were also strained to keep up a defensive that could also help mount a counterattack. So when Pellaeon told Cassandra that he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold, she decided it was time for a slight change of strategy.

Though she was certain that Ken, despite the strain, could keep them from being defeated, she wasn't about to take any chances now. So she made the order for her NR starfighters to join them in space alongside their Chiss counterparts. It did wonders to increase the defenses, even if not by much, and she decided she would finish this outpost off then join in. Thankfully, her strategy of straining the outpost's defenses seemed to work and within moments of beginning the bombardment, the outpost's living components died and the metal exploded.

"Turn our cruisers toward the impending Yuuzhan Vong fleet and concentrate all firepower on the worldships in the middle! We're going to shower those vermin with all the laser fire that we can possibly give them until they retreat or are wiped out!" she shouted. There were five worldships and the best way to destroy them all was concentrate the best of it on all of them. She even had Pellaeon concentrate the firepower of his Star Destroyers on the worldships for more damage.

Starfighters clashed against coralskippers, both opponents losing several of their fellow comrades while the cruisers, corvettes, and Star-Destroyers kept up their bombardment. "Talk to me, what do we have in the way of our missiles on every cruiser, corvette and Star Destroyer? Give it to me, straight!" Cassandra demanded at one point, during the battle. "We have the experimental type on every single one: better yet they're all in full supply!" said one crewman.

"Then fire every last one on the worldships and see what happens, our blaster fire is doing much so let's see what these do," she commanded. "Yes ma'am," said the crew. The order was relayed to all Imperial ships and Pellaeon didn't even question her on this one. Since the experimental missiles that started out as one but split into six, there was no need to.

Hundreds (if not thousands) were fired from each ship until there were not left then they watched as their weapon did its part and increased its own amount by sixfold. A fifth of the total missiles sought out each worldship and a rainstorm of firepower showered upon them all. Within moments, the last worldships were little more than floating balls of fire in the void of space. The union between the NR and the Imperial Remnant had been victorious here and it was splendid.

Those coralskippers that remained after the utter desolation of their worldships either retreated or kept the line so that other ships could leave. However, these were no match for the full might of the coalition that Cassandra had formed here with Captain Pellaeon and his crew. So before long, there were no more Yuuzhan Vong ships coming within firing range and any that came would die, failing to reach the galaxy they hoped to conquer. Better still, those forces that were already here would have no way of going home before their ships died and fell from space.

It was a victory that everyone treasured except Cassandra: she'd seen the toll this took on Ken's mind and noticed how he was bleeding through his nose and having seizures. What hadn't been obvious about his mastery of Battle Meditation became crystal clear to her now. He hadn't been a master and even if he were, it would have still hurt him to concentrate this deeply. So she put him in a bacta tank as soon as she saw what happened and left him there to heal.

"How long does he need?" Pellaeon asked after arriving on board Cassandra's cruiser to discuss the future of their alliance. "That remains to be seen: if it weren't for his Battle Meditation, I'm not sure our strategy would have worked. So please, leave him be and don't bring him up around me, okay?" she asked. "Very well but in the meantime, there is something I want to discuss with you: our little treaty," he answered.

"Still in effect until higher powers than myself say it isn't. That's all I can tell you except that I already have a strategy as to how we can divide and conquer the rest of the way," she said. Pellaeon was shocked that she was so far ahead of him but he soon recovered and asked her to explain what she had in mind. "Your Imperial forces will proceed ahead and complete the loop while I take my forces to Coruscant and remain there until the time comes to strike.

"The New Republic is looking to take it back and they're hoping they can have me go behind the Yuuzhan Vong defenses so that we can perform a sandwich movement on them. This way, any and all officials of the Yuuzhan Vong that are present are trapped with no escape. Better to capture as many as possible than let them all go and have the possibility of the war continuing longer than it has to," she explained. Pellaeon smiled, amused by her plan and he asked her just how she knew the Yuuzhan Vong would be focused on one side and not all of Coruscant.

"They've turned it to their new capital and unless they're stupid or arrogant, they'll likely have a ring of defense on the entire planet!" he added. "I don't know if they have that ring but my orders are to destroy what's behind the planet, from here, if there is one. Otherwise, I'm to wait until I'm given the signal to charge in and attack at their backside," she replied calmly. _How did Thrawn have the patience to tolerate this attitude from Pellaeon?_ she asked herself silently.

"So this is where we part ways?" Pellaeon inquired. "I guess so," she admitted nonchalantly. Pellaeon extended a hand and said that if that were the case then it had been an honor to fight beside her despite his many questions and doubts. "Likewise, Pellaeon," she replied.

He left then and she continued her gaze at Ken, seeing if there were any signs of recovery going on for she knew his mind was too damaged for telepathy, at the moment. But actually, that proved to be the scariest part: having no way to communicate with him until he felt better. She did what she could without him, which was just the lightspeed trip to Coruscant. However, she began to wonder: would he recover in time to be of help in the final battle?

Akane Kryze Kenobi lied where she had been raped by Triclops' 'friend', who had been later disposed of with a blaster shot from his assassin Hemera. She felt like she had dishonored the memory of her great father and the love that her mother had poured onto her. How could she not have felt anything short of a useless slab of meat when she couldn't stop what happened? As she lied there, this constant guilt and self-doubt was eventually what made her angry.

Despite her Jedi training, she couldn't help but feel the need for vengeance of some kind whether it was just killing the man who'd caused this or utterly ruining his life. This vengeance also gave her a new sense of confidence to seek out the Jedi and aid them in destroying Triclops. She would assist them in stopping him from obtaining the Mask of Darth Nihilus even if it cost her her life to stop him. After all, her mother and mentor were dead now, her father had given his life to save another in years past and she had no siblings so what did she have to lose?

Gathering herself up from where she had lied, she did the best she could to avoid widening her crotch and making it bleed until she got a pad she could put in her pants. When she dressed, she felt somewhat relieved that she could stand up and hold a blade again. So she dressed into her best jumpsuit outfit, grabbed her lightsaber and Sarcev's, and marched outside. She would call in a few favors as far as transportation was concerned but that didn't matter when Triclops and his little bitch needed to perish for what they did to her and her mother.

_Betrayed and left for dead for the last time, a new journey begins with something worth fighting for. Someone worth dying for and I will not stop, I will not rest. Triclops cannot destroy me now!_ she thought to herself silently. And she knew that if Triclops couldn't destroy her, nothing could.

_Akane, Akane! This is just what Triclops wants you to do, do not pursue him!_ said an unfamiliar voice. "Who are you and how do you know me!?" she demanded, igniting the orange blades of her lightsabers as she made her statement. _Do you not know the voice of your father when you hear him?_ replied the invisible figure she heard in her head.

But it couldn't be: Obi-Wan Kenobi had been dead for so long and no one ever came back from the dead. _You were deceived when your mother told you that I had not learned how to transcend death, for your own good. Now that Satine is no more, you will go to Yavin 4 and there you will learn from Luke, my final student before my death_ he told her. "Luke... as in Luke Skywalker?" she asked.

_The very one: he and his sister will complete your training and only then will you be allowed any chance to exact the revenge you seek_ he answered. "I thought Jedi were against the idea of taking revenge," she said. _That is still the way of things in the Jedi Order but you are a Mandalorian as well as a Jedi: revenge runs in your blood like the Force does. It is up to you to balance these two sides of the coin for greater power over all life and yourself_ he explained.

"I will do that, Master Obi-Wan. Or do you not mind being called 'father'?" Akane asked. _It will be fine if you call me father though there's more reason for you not to call me that than the other way around_ he replied. "Wow, you are humble: no wonder why my mother loved you so much as to conceive me with you," she joked.

_Now you know, from firsthand experience, the less willing version of what your mother and I did to conceive you_ he retorted. She gagged a little and asked if he wasn't serious. _Couldn't be more serious_ he said with a chuckle. "Okay, I'm staying away from horny men for the next ten years, if I can," she vowed.

_Do not shut yourself off just because of that one case: he is one of few in the entire galaxy that actually turn rape into a job he can be paid for. Yes, Triclops is his employer and his duty is doing exactly what he did to you to men and women alike_ he replied. It made her all the more disgusted but at the same time, she wanted to do something about finding the victims. She wanted to let them know that the man who did it to them was dead and his body was left to rot.

Most would be like her in that it would be commended, even if they had to learn that he was killed by the very man who had employed him for them all. "How many times did he hire this man?" she asked. _Dozens, just as he did with others like this man: he had each rape a certain group of one or two dozen people then he'd kill them as shamelessly as he did this man. His philosophy was that death served as the ultimate freedom and many of these criminals were sentenced to life in prison for exactly what he paid them to do_ Obi-Wan said.

"So wait, they would be sentenced to prison for rape then he'd bail them out and pay them to be his hired rapist, have them rape a dozen people or so, then kill them? What a disgusting man to wittingly have such people on his payroll," Akane said. _His father eventually thought the same thing and made sure he didn't keep up the 'program' for long. In fact, his father threatened to banish him if he didn't shut down this employment system_ he admitted.

"And you know this, because?" she inquired. _Because it was on the HoloNet News at a time where I was in the Mos Eisley spaceport. Even if I wasn't, I would have known of it from someone gathering supplies for me and acting as my messenger. It was an insurance policy that I'd know what was going on in the galaxy without ending my reclusion_ he told her. She admitted that was a smart game plan and now, she would seek out Luke Skywalker for revenge or death.


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Kendalina was surprised to see how she had only a little opposition from scurrying little pests, at best, compared to the glorious Massassi she had heard of before. Was this temple just that valueless compared to the others that were even here on Ziost, nevermind Moraband? Or was it because this one relied on different defenses from the other temples? What kind of spirits resided here and why would they not appoint Massassi guards over their tombs?

As she journeyed deeper and deeper into the temple, she was forced to rely on her lightsaber for illumination as the light at the entrance receded. But once the light went out, she saw changes in the temple that she sensed were ripples of Force energy being sent outward. So, out of curiosity, she decided that she should turn off her lightsaber and see what happened. Immediately, the dark room transformed into one that looked not dissimilar to how the Temple must have been when there was torchlight to illuminate the way.

The passage in front of her was silver on top of darker grey with the walls also being darker grey. Further down, the hallway she was on gave way to a massive antechamber which contained a massive statue of a Sith Lord she couldn't identify (though he looked like Malgus). However, she also noticed three massive mirrors and a machine underneath the statue that allowed it to fall under the floor so that only the mirrors could be seen. When the statue was lowered down, she noticed a passage high above the mirror and she was curious about that.

Before she could find out if that went anywhere, she saw an ominous figure in gold and blue with a Jedi Knight's brown cloak. His skin was pale blue like any Umbaran who had gone outside their planet and she immediately recognized who this was: Darth Ruin. Unlike what she'd seen in holographic pictures, he carried a spear rather than a lightsaber, however. _Was this the decorative weapon he chose to take to his tomb?_ she asked herself silently.

As he levitated himself down to her level, from the higher passage, he smiled a conniving and almost persuasive smile that made her cringe for a moment. "Welcome Jedi, we've been expecting you," Ruin said. "'We'?" Kendalina asked. "Myself, Ludo Kressh, and Lord Malak," Ruin answered.

"Then, if you're expecting me, you should know why I am here," she stated. "Your resolve to come here to your end is admirable even if it is misguided. There is no life after death except the unholy, melancholy existence that we Sith Lords live. The Jedi spirits that you claim to have seen, or heard in Qui-Gon Jinn's case, are all illusions.

"It was I who came here to learn the ability to transcend death and I who became trapped in my tomb on Ziost. One fallen Jedi to another, I tell you that it is not your destiny to transcend death and be of help to your son when you die," Ruin said, circling around her as he spoke. When he finished speaking, he was behind her and had placed a cold, icy hand on her shoulder to place emphasis on his more persuasive convictions. "What makes you think that you're in control of my destiny?

"Who are you to describe what only the will of the Force can decide for me? And what makes you think I had fallen from the graces of the Jedi? The fact that I survived in exile after Order 66, that I had a kid, or that I had a kid with the Emperor's son?" she calmly demanded. "I see Skywalker has persuaded into servitude with his lies.

"The New Jedi Order is little better than the old Order yet will become much worse. We three Sith Lords have learned how to control the threads of Time itself. It is we who have seen this destiny firsthand and know that if you destroy us, you will only bring about that destiny. But there is no power greater than he who can control Time itself.

"If you challenge us, you _will_ die. Turn back now while I am feeling gracious enough to let you or we are your doom," he explained. "I will not: your supposed ability to control time is an illusion, more so than the spirits you claim are deceptions of the mind," she replied. "That is where you are wrong," he hissed, angrily.

Kendalina yanked her shoulder free of him and used Force Dash to escape him before he could use his spear to impale her head. Then she turned to actually face him and ignited her lightsaber to engage him. "You do not defy fate, Kendalina!" Ruin said. That was when she noticed something strange: he had spoken not with one voice but with two.

As he planted the spear's bladed tip into the ground, the pommel lit up and the mirrors became beacons of bright white light. From his spear, she saw a black trail of Dark Side power beam towards the mirror to her left then flew under her and made it to the other side. But it concluded its travel at the center mirror which remained bright even when the others didn't. At first, nothing happened but then the hands of a giant Sith Pureblood emerged through.

"And now, that life is at an end," said the figure that she recognized as Ludo Kressh from the holovids of him. Before she could do anything, he used the Force to yank her forward and then grabbed her with his hand before guiding her through the mirror and to another arena. "We control your destiny now, foolish Jedi!" Ludo shouted as he threw her onto the bridge below. Rising up to her feet, she recognized this area: it was deep within an ancient underground city in Sullust though she couldn't remember how she recognized it.

"Search within yourself, Kendalina: the bridge that you stand on helped deliver your victory against General Grievous! If it were to have fallen, you would be the one who was defeated this day, not Grievous! We can change your past and set your future, this is the power of Ludo Kressh!" the Pureblood exclaimed victoriously as he sent a Kinetite blast onto the bridge.

Kendalina dodged the blast but she could see that it did incredible damage to the bridge but in such a pattern that she actually recalled running over this spot when she was a Padawan. Granted, she hadn't seen an older version of herself fighting Ludo Kressh at that point but that was the remarkable thing: here she was now at a spot she had been when she was younger. Not only that but she would likely be invisible to her younger counterpart as well! She knew she had to save the bridge, if only to get out of his spell, even if this was just a really good illusion.

Undead Massassi began rising from droplets of Force energy and began attacking her with various types of halberds, swords, and bladed knuckledusters. However, her lightsaber gave her to cut these creatures and their weapons to ribbons without breaking a sweat. Nonetheless, she kept a careful eye on Ludo Kressh's movements, in case he came back for another round. When he looked liked he was going to prepare another blast of Kinetite, she became curious and used her own abilities of the Force to pull a Massassi in her direction then throw it at him.

The result was the energy that would have been used in the Kinetite attack being used, instead, to electrocute and (in simultaneity) send a powerful Force Push to Ludo Kressh. Because he was already levitating in the empty space above the bridge, this only temporarily set him off. However, her attack made him reel and dive backward until he seemed to flying with his back facing her before then circling to the other side of the bridge. He also made sure to put some distance between himself and Kendalina before attempting again to do damage to the bridge.

However, Kendalina made sure to keep him from doing anything substantial by shooting bolts of Emerald Fire and blasts of Pyrokinesis to keep him on his guard. "You dare to strike at me and defy your true destiny!?" Ludo Kressh shouted. "I dare only to defy the destiny that you only wish to see, not the one that is meant to be. The future has many paths, just as a tree can have many branches, and you have chosen the branch that bears the fruits you like the most.

"I will not be a victim of your desire and you will not kill me nor set the stage for General Grievous to kill me during this battle," Kendalina replied calmly. So as soon as she could, she used the Force to pull him closer than leapt at his chest with intent to stab him with her blade. However, he stopped her by grabbing her again though her blade hand was still free, compelling her to use Saber Throw to complete the job that she had set out to do with her original attack. The result was that he let her go but she remained levitated just long enough to reach her lightsaber again and bring him down with the weight of her body.

Deactivating her blade for a moment, she brought the hilt up to his neck in a reverse grip then ignited the blade again, keeping it in place for several seconds. After that, she also made sure to yank it back out and jam it into the dome of his skull, a blow that would surely kill him. The result was that a portal back to the original arena had been created and she immediately stepped through to finish her business with Lord Ruin. Kressh recovered, somehow, but was unable to cross through the mirror as he had done before.

Thankfully, her victory meant that he was only reduced to a witness of the past rather than an entity capable of doing any damage like he had before. "I am through playing games with you, Kendalina. The power to control your own fate was never meant for a mortal like you!" Ruin exclaimed. "You were mortal too, in life, what makes you think you and Kressh had anymore jurisdiction to control the threads of time than I do?

"Actually, how do you know the Force itself didn't send me here to undo what you had created with this power?" Kendalina retorted. Angered, Ruin tried to impale her but she dodged in such a fashion that she was capable of countering by severing his spear's bladed head off. She also used the Force to somersault over him then slice the spear's hilt to pieces. Interestingly enough, the pommel which had been used to summon Ludo Kressh temporarily froze time.

More than that, all of them were trapped under the spell since no one was in its control and Kendalina had a feeling that if she got a hold of it, she stood a chance. Because she had a start over Lord Ruin, she was able to get going as far as reaching the stone. Ruin was still very far away and she actually wondered if she could keep it that way until she could touch it. Just when she took control, the spell was broken and Ruin was back to normal speed.

It was then that Kendalina realized that he had been reaching for his lightsaber as he ran toward her. Just then, Ludo Kressh managed to emerge halfway through the mirror that had been on the left corner of the antechamber's front entrance. He tried to take down Kendalina with purple Force Lightning though she was able to absorb this with Tutaminis. In a clever feat of strategy, Kendalina waited until he stopped then redirected Lightning in one hand at Lord Ruin.

With the other, she kept half of the Lightning inside until Ruin was done and she used her free hand to activate the spell that slowed down time. A green light fell over everything and slowed down all except her, compelling her to release the rest of the reflected Force Lightning. Kressh was down within moments and as he slowly descended from the top of the mirror to the other, the spell wore off and he was absorbed back into the mirror which broke at several places. Kendalina used a strong Force repulse to finish off the rest while Ruin used Lightning to summon Ludo Kressh halfway through the mirror on the opposite side.

Kendalina used Kinetite in an attempt to distract Darth Ruin, an attempt that actually worked since he backed out of its way and crashed unto Ludo Kressh. Kressh suffered the impact but it was not enough to do anything to him which gave her an idea. If she could keep using the spell that slowed down time, then she could find a way to defeat these two for good. At first, she had trouble finding out how to use it since it didn't work as instantly as it did before.

However, she solved that problem by tapping it on the ground in time to stop Lord Ruin from bringing his blade to bear on her in her distraction. So when the spell took effect again, she dodged his blade and cast a blast of Emerald Fire in Ludo Kressh's direction for the same result. Yet again, Ludo fell slowly from the top of the mirror to the floor just as the spell broke and Kressh was sucked into the vortex created by the magic and several pieces broke again. Another Force Push was all it took and Kendalina knew that she was close to a victory against these two.

So now, she turned her attention to facing Ruin especially with the knowledge that it would be a little bit before Kressh got his upper body through the last mirror. Attacking with a combination of Ataru acrobatics, Niman twirls (repeated full circles), Makashi jabs, and Shii-Cho slashes, she forced him to lose a lot of ground and closer to the last mirror. Soon, however, she decided to end it quick and surprised him with jab from his spear's remnant. To her surprise, the pommel went through him like she had used the blade instead, proving he was an illusion.

She shoved him down to the ground while he was still impaled and used the Force to push him several meters away from her, just in time to be grabbed by Ludo Kressh again. During this time, she noticed that Lord Ruin's lightsaber lied where it fell and she used it to stab Kressh. He let go in time for her to teleport away from an incoming Ruin, who'd regained the spear. But when she teleported, he accidentally rammed the sharp broken end into Kressh's chest.

While the pommel's jewel still glowed a green light, Kendalina circled back around and plunged both blades into Ruin's back, causing him to cry out in pain caused by the searing heat. But before he could do anything else, Kendalina had an epiphany that told her of words to say before sending him through the mirror. "I cast your soul and that of Ludo Kressh's to the Time Before The Chronicler, witness the Time of Oblivion and disperse across the cosmos!" she said. With that said, she deactivated her lightsaber and gathered energy for the most powerful Force Push that she could possibly muster.

Upon successfully doing this, she released it all on Ruin and sent him through the mirror just seconds after letting go of Ruin's lightsaber which was embedded in his right shoulder. Once again, the mirror was broken in several places but she watched what happened first. As she had expected, Ruin and Kressh were sucked into the Oblivion vortex and destroyed. Their essences were scattered across the cosmos, never to threaten anyone again.

Creating a maelstrom of Force energy, she waited until she had enough to destroy the foundations behind this mirror then released it all. The mirror shattered into thousands of tiny pieces and it led to another hallway that likely continued deeper into the temple. "Well, least I'm getting some results in exchange for my combat experiences. Hope the last soul is a little easier on me than these guys were thought," she said, thinking aloud.

As she spoke, her knees began to ache ferociously and it almost seemed like she couldn't do anything other than stand for a moment. But she soon recovered and trudged on as best she could. It was all she could do to hope that she could find a place to stop and heal her legs before continuing on. After all, if she didn't heal soon then she would be in for some trouble when she faced down this last Sith lord.

**Triclops sensed the presence** on Ziost getting stronger and he saw what Kendalina did to the spirits of Darth Ruin and Ludo Kressh. But he still didn't understand why she had come here, did she come for knowledge of something? If so, what kind of knowledge could she possibly be seeking from a place like that? What rare art of the Force had she stumbled upon that had her so willing to put herself in jeopardy, in return for knowledge?

The only time he had ever heard such excitement over knowledge was the insatiable curiosity of those who learned how to transcend death. The ones who came back as Spirits who guided the living to great things, including the fall of his father's Empire. _So _that's_ what she is up to, eh? Worried that Ken will need mommy's hand even after she has died, is she?_ he asked himself silently.

Awakening from his meditation, Triclops smiled since he now knew what he must have Hemera stop Kendalina from doing. Ordering for her to be summoned from the droid factory, he was direct in what he wanted her to do. "Go to Ziost and await my ex-wife Kendalina at coordinates that will be provided on your datapad. When she emerges from the temple at this location, sever her head and bring it to me on a platter or don't bother coming back!" he said.

"But what of the droids being rebuilt at the Kuat foundry? They will surely need some protection," Hemera said. "The droids that are assembled will be programmed to do that in our absences. Go to Ziost and do as I say, child!" he snapped.

_This woman has him really paranoid. Did he fear her that much when they were married?_ Hemera jokingly asked herself. "You're afraid of an itty bitty little woman recovering from a crippling bone disease?" she asked aloud. "Kendalina is one of the more powerful existing Force-sensitives in this galaxy.

"Though not at her peak anymore, she is not to be trifled with even so. And I cannot have her standing in the way of my destiny to obtain the mask. Kill her then return to me to complete our droid army, in time to assault the Dai Bendu and take it by force! Nothing shall stand in my way and when the mask is mine, I will leave nothing of our foes in my wake," he snarled.

Though he would never have admitted it, his eyes betrayed what he had become all too clearly. The power rumored to lie in the mask of Darth Nihilus had consumed his every thought, his every waking hour spent on pondering how to steal it from the Dai Bendu. What began as a humble hobby for a young Crown Prince had become an obsession that'd driven a man mad. And all of the madness for what, to prove that he was a better man than his own father who was himself not an angel sent from the netherworld of the Force or Iego?

Was there something the old man had done to him that drove him to such a sickening craze for the power of a long-dead Sith Lord's mask? And just how could something as small as a mask contain such immense power as to help Triclops take control of the cosmos? How did he know that the mask's power wasn't just a myth and was guarded to bolster the myth's strength? It was true that Nihilus had existed, there was no evidence to dispute that: it was just such a lack of evidence as to the mask having any power that it might as well have been dismissed for fiction.

But Triclops was so obsessive, so passionate, so adamant about obtaining it for himself and using its power to rule all that ever was, is, and would be. Yes, it was normal in the nature of the Sith to crave power but did such a craving truly know no bounds? Or had Triclops crossed thresholds that his father, his Sith ancestor Bane, and even the likes of Vitiate wouldn't cross? Was it possible that Triclops could actually be so cruel a man that even the worst Sith Lords of the past would have feared him if they were alive today?

Rapists had been on this man's payroll for committing their crime, assassins were encouraged to cut their victims open and watch them bleed rather than disintegrate them... During the time he had been Crown Prince, his soldiers were encouraged to take female hostages as spoils of war to be used and discarded at their leisure and to bash their children's heads in. In fact, Hemera found receipts for hundreds of credits to each soldier who did just these things. And the more they did it, the greater their paycheck after they returned from the battlefield.

Bounty hunters loved working for him since they could use whatever they wanted to use so long as they obeyed the terms of their contracts. And it was he who enthusiastically did the math that determined that the Death Stars could destroy entire planets among other misdeeds. Even when he was imprisoned by the New Republic, blood still continued to stain his hands while he didn't care. Was there no good left in this man who'd crave the mask above all else?


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

Between the dimension of the dead and the universe of those who were alive was a dimension that served like a purgatory, a place where the comatose or obliterated lived. Ken, to his horror, found himself in this dimension as a result of what he'd done for Cassandra. It was a grey, dismal place where trees did not have any semblance of greenery or life. In fact, what Ken would normally have called plants here looked like brown, creaky husks of what they once were.

The spirits here had eyes dull like conforming cattle yet that faint yellow glow in their eyes still made him shudder when he looked at it. Here, everyone was almost exactly the same with a few differences being (perhaps) the clothes they wore and any wounds they had on them. Some had the telltale marks of a bludgeon hitting their temples, bringing them here as a result or they had wounds in those same areas from a bladed object hitting them. A few even had the marks of blaster bolts in their foreheads yet somehow landed only in this dismal plane.

_I must find a way out of here, I must find a way back to Cassandra and the Jedi!_ Ken thought to himself silently. At present, Ken was located in a vast field fraught with dead grass and twigs that snap-crunched with each and every step he took. The souls of those who resided here wandered aimlessly, never wondering whether or not they could escape this or not. Some complained about their plight and, more specifically, how it was brought upon them.

Several complained of how people they once considered their friends and/or family had threatened to kill them then tried to deliver on their threat. Ken wished he had the power to help these people but he had a feeling it was going to be difficult enough to get himself out of this. So, despite his chagrin in doing so, he decided it was best to just simply leave these people. It was better to get back to helping Cassandra as soon as possible then be stuck in this for eternity.

Looking around, he tried to see if he could find anything that would hint at a way out, hoping something would stand out. For what seemed to be miles around, he saw nothing but rolling hills began to form in the distance and he knew that he had to get there. After all, when lost in any survival event, it was best to be on the lookout for high outcrops for better viewing. So rather than lingering where he was for even a second longer, Ken began the trek toward those rolling hills to get a good idea of where he should be headed.

The grass and sticks crunched underneath his boots and as he kept walking on and on, he noticed that the hills weren't getting any closer. _What in the universe is going on here?_ he asked himself silently. That was when it hit him: this dimension was a place filled with tests that one had to pass, in order to get out. But what would be the nature of the first test? This was what he had to determine for himself if there was to be any hope of getting out of here.

**As Kendalina traveled deeper** into the temple on Ziost, she sensed ripples in time and space that gave her the notion that perhaps, she hadn't seen an illusion in her earlier skirmish. Perhaps, through some ill turn in fortune, the spirits of Lord Ruin, Ludo Kressh, and Lord Malak learned the abilities necessary to bend time and space to their design. But if that were the case, why hadn't they seen to her erasure, years before this moment? On top of that, why hadn't they seen to the end of those who founded the Jedi Order, ensuring the eternity of the Sith?

Was it because of the fact that they were dead when they did this somehow hinder their ability to affect the strands of time except in small ways? Or was it to be used as a defense mechanism, given the heavy price that kind of power likely came with? It seemed sensible, given that these were Sith Lords that were in no position to bother every single person in the universe. That was, let alone every single person who ever lived, is living, or would live across the folds of time.

As she reached the beginning of what she sensed to be the center of the temple, she heard the voice of Lord Malak in her head. _You will never find that which you seek, Jedi. The journey that you have been set on can only lead to your own demise. Relish what moments of life you have while you have them for I will destroy you_ he told her.

"If you're so confident that you'll mark my end, why not come deliver it on your blade now?" she asked. _Ah young fool, so eager, so ecstatic, relax. Soon enough, we will have our time to play but for now, accept what the defenses of my fortress have to offer_ he answered. Igniting her lightsaber, she prepared herself for anything but was surprised to find that there was very little.

Of course, she had to remember that these defenses were likely not going to come to her if Malak was as ingenious with strategy as his actions in life seemed to indicate. Unfortunately, however, she soon saw men with blasters pointed at her and she guessed these were it. When Malak was dead, a whole battalion of warriors was buried with him and now they fought her. Given that the head supported the nervous system's ability to coordinate and attack, she decided that the best thing to do was aim for reflecting their bolts back at their brains.

Doing this as much as she could, she found it easier to cut a path through their ranks than she had originally anticipated. And out of curiosity, she used the Force to conduct the biggest pulse of energy that she could conjure and noticed half the forces available falling apart. She should have expected as much, given their time here but it was still a little shocking. "Is this the best you have for me, Malak?" she asked.

_That is but the icing of the cake, now for the real flavor_ Malak replied. Then, from the ranks of the debris she created with the corpses, emerged several dozen Dark Jedi. Among them, even the undead corpse of Darth Bandon (Malak's apprentice) rose to challenge her skills. Raising an eyebrow, Kendalina had to admit that she was beginning to wonder what sense there was being here, fighting these... things?

Deciding there was nothing for it (though it would wear her down further) she gathered half of her power and channeled it into the Force Light spell. So bright was the orb she created that it encompassed the massive stairwell entirely and pierced through the windows. She sensed Malak shudder at the application's window piercing but Bandon and his lackeys burned to ash. When she was finished, several minutes later, she placed the hands she rose for the spell to her side and felt the souls of those that had been before her scatter across the cosmos.

She pitied these poor servants of Lord Malak but she didn't remain focused on them for long as she noticed her spell opened the door to the next chamber over. High above the spiraling pillar (which had a primitive elevator in the middle), Kendalina sensed Malak waiting. _I have been taking it easy on you but no more: I will be your next opponent. Come and face your doom at my hand, foolish child of the Light!_ she heard him shout.

"Oh good, I could use a challenge for change and not some rabble that Revan dispatched with ease when they were alive!" Kendalina mocked. The idea was to get Malak angered to the point of being stupid while they fought, ensuring that he wore down that much faster against her. If she could wear him down more quickly, then she would be able to dispatch him more readily and ensure that the Force Priestesses were pleased enough to where she could begin training. However, as she reached the elevator that would take her directly to where Lord Malak was waiting, she began to wonder if this was a monument to him and the others.

She also wondered that if not them, could this temple of been erected in honor of the madness of the minds of those who fell deepest into the Dark Side? She contemplated these things because this temple looked a lot like something that Triclops would build. As if that wasn't interesting enough, he probably would have made sure to outfit with more weapons. Perhaps, a few traps here and there, in order to throw any who came to raid this temple off balance or even kill them.

However, she kept her wits about her and was pleased to see that Malak was actually waiting for her at the top. "Well done Kendalina, but you will never find the thread of your life nor find the secret to transcending death. You will perish here and be another one of the corpses I have in quite the collection here," Malak said. Then he ignited his lightsaber and placed it in a stance, characteristic of Juyo (the hilt being held at the waist and the blade pointed up) to begin.

Kendalina pointed her blade forward in a manner that reflected her Ataru preference then leaped at such an angle that she would have been able to cut off his feet. However, just before she could strike, a blinding white light encompassed everything for several moments. Then when it died down, she recognized the place she was in: it was her mother's old home in Coruscant. And judging by how young her mother looked, this was before she became pregnant with Kendalina and Kento.

Then she saw her father emerge behind her, embracing her from behind in a fashion that would normally have been romantic but Kendalina found saddening. It was especially noteworthy, for this reaction, that her mother didn't immediately return the 'affection'. _A sign of how much she actually didn't want him around_ Kendalina observed. But then, the images shifted and she soon found herself on a bridge above her homestead, watching her father approach.

Malak came nearby and asked what would happen if her father was killed now, given this was the night where he ravaged her mother and conceived the twins on the process. "Do you let me kill the man and change the threads of fate and time? Or do you save him and let your mother suffer?" he asked. Kendalina thought long and hard about this, knowing full well that it was not a good idea to just simply assume this was an illusion.

Lord Ruin caused the kind of damage that Kendalina actually remembered seeing on that bridge that had allowed her to win her fight with Grievous even if she hadn't known about Ruin. So was that really an illusion or had she witnessed the result of Ruin's attempt to change the past, back when she was much younger? This was something that would constantly plague her mind until she found the answer but she had the feeling she wasn't going to get it out of Malak. So the path before her became clear and she knew that even though she hated her father, she was going to have to let him live by facing Lord Malak.

Before he could say or do anything more, Kendalina swiped her lightsaber across his jaw and actually took off the lower part. Malak transformed into what he would be more infamously remembered for appearing in life and engaged Kendalina in a duel. Taking the lead with aggressive, powerful strikes and Kendalina was forced to fall back on an impenetrable defensive. But it wasn't long before she found an opening and was able to combine her Niman and Ataru skills with Makashi.

Holding a central line with her bladework, she watched as her strikes were timed in such a fashion as to shatter Malak's central line and force him to begin losing ground to her. He even went as far as trying to regain the ground lost by throwing Force Lightning at her, in a flash. However, she caught his Lightning and absorbed it via Tutaminis before then shooting it right back at him, causing him to lose even more ground. But when he did it a second time, she decided she was curious to see what would happen if she reflected it into the sky.

As soon as she did that, the images came undone and it was revealed that a massive chandelier, containing a massive round orb had been the cause of it all. Firing bolts of her own Emerald Lightning, she cut the moorings that support it and watched as it descended on Malak. The orb itself hit Malak directly atop the head while the rest of the chandelier acted to pin him down, even if he recovered from the blow. But given that the chandelier exploded in rays of blue-purple power, she severely doubted that he would be surviving all that.

A burnt skeleton beneath the remains of the chandelier, in the aftermath of the explosion, betrayed his fate to her and she rested easy. But she had a feeling that even with him dead, there was still something left to do. So when spindles with several glimmering threads emerged, she realized she would probably have to take control of one of them for her next test. _Choose well, one of these contains the events of your own life but the others will bring this place down on you._

_Find your thread and you shall have the power to change your fate for better or worse_ said the voice of the Priestess Serenity. Kendalina was awfully tempted to try and find her own thread, hoping to change oh-so-much of her own life for what she thought would be much better. But she had to ask herself one question: what if changes she made that she thought were good would be horrid for the galaxy? Sure, some of the things she had gone through were horrid but what if it was worse to change those experiences than to remember enduring them?

Better still, she had to remember that those experiences she wished to change most were experiences that likely made her stronger than most would know rather than weaker. It was within that moment that Kendlina made her decision. "What if I don't want to use the power this would give me to change my life? What if I am perfectly content with destroying this place and keeping the power to control time out of the reach of mortal hands?" she asked.

_Then you have passed the test, that which we have given you: would you abuse the power to traverse the threads of time as a Spirit or would you use it wisely? This is the test that you should pass if you choose not to change your fate, making you worthy to transcend death_ Serenity said. "Then the decision is clear to me: better to let this power fall beyond the reach of all who are made of flesh and blood than use it to change even my own fate," Kendalina replied. Pick any thread besides the one we've tinted red and the destruction of this place will be assured when you complete a spinning cycle Serenity said.

"How will I escape?" Kendalina asked. Windows shattered and she heard Qui-Gon's voice tell her to leave that to him. Smiling, Kendalina noticed the tint and chose the thread at its right flank to begin spinning. Pulling with all her might, she watched as the mirror that would have shown the events of her life begin to cackle at first.

As she pulled on the thread further, she saw cracks beginning to form in the glass and grow in size, even connecting in some places. She kept going even as this happened and when the mirror broke, rays of green light emitted throughout the entire temple with its end. This caused tremors great enough to begin breaking foundational pillars and see the temple collapsing. Kendalina decided to make a leap out the antechamber but even with the enhancing power of the Force, she would never make it.

That was when Qui-Gon delivered on his end and levitated her up and through the windows and carried her in the air for several meters until she was near the temple entrance. When she arrived there, he let her go and she watched as the temple crumbled and fell in a cloud of dust that covered it and all that she could see for several seconds. After the dust cleared, there was nothing but rubble and all signs of Dark Side power left this temple. It was then that Serenity appeared to her again and told Kendalina that she was ready to begin training.

"Your former stepfather, Qui-Gon, shall begin teaching you what you must know so that you may transcend death and remain at your son's side even when you are no more," she added. "How did you know about my son?" Kendalina asked. "We are the Guardians of all life, the first to know any who will be born: we have known your son since he was just a clump of cells. But do not fear, we can no more hinder his power than help it since he is alive," Serenity answered.

"So what now?" Kendalina asked. "Return to your home in Yavin 4 and wait for Qui-Gon to call you to Meditation. You will learn from him in the plane that lies between the realm of the living and the land of the dead. The plane that can only be reached through immersive meditation," Serenity answered.

"I shall do that and when can I expect Qui-Gon to call upon me?" Kendalina inquired. "Wait no more than three days and if he has not called on you then, call on him in meditation. Either way, he shall be ready to begin your training in no less and no more time than that. For now, enjoy what rest you can get amidst the ravaging conflicts of this galaxy," Serenity replied.

At the moment that Serenity mentioned rest, she had to admit she was feeling extraordinarily tired (even compared to what she could expect in her prime) from all this. So she wasted no time in telling the pilot that she wanted to go to Yavin 4 and return to her home there. "It's high time that I went back to the land I know to be safest for me," she added. "To Yavin 4, it is then," he said, launching the ship into lightspeed when they were clear to do so.

**From a safe distance,** Hemera watched everything that happened and she confessed that she was finding herself uncertain about killing Kendalina. On the one hand, Triclops likely had enough spies across the galaxy to tell him if she failed or not. Retribution from him would be like unleashing the full power of the Dark Side upon her. But on the other, she had seen what he had become and she had to confess that she wanted to stop it from going to its greatest depths.

As if that didn't make things more difficult, the woman that she had been rudely asked to kill was Triclops' ex-wife. This was the woman with whom Triclops had conceived his own son, who he also wanted dead at some point, as well. Did Hemera really have the darkness of heart to pull the plug on Kendalina's existence or was there still good in her despite her programming? By the time she decided to make a move, Kendalina was already inside her ship and ready to take off.

So Hemera quickly whipped out a gun that shot not bolts but tracking devices unto the hulls of other ships. She decided she would follow the ship to wherever its next stop was, see if that was the end of the road for Kendalina, then plot out her plan of attack from there. It was better than charging in recklessly, even if the Jedi showed weakness, and hope she'd be easy. Besides, there was good reason that Triclops was afraid of her being a hindrance to him and Hemera was curious to see if it was strictly on the basis of her history with him.

Depending on his reasoning, he might or might not be so consumed with power that he was incapable of feeling anything unrelated to that. It didn't matter if he felt happiness, it didn't matter if he felt love, he just needed to feel something that wasn't associated with power-hunger. _Darth Nihilus II would be a fitting name for him indeed, he's just as hungry for power as the Lord of Hunger was when he was alive_ Hemera joked while making sure the tracker worked. The repeated flash on her tracker meant that it was working so she decided it best to get going.

Ziost was getting creepier with every minute that she spent here and she had to admit that she wasn't exactly looking forward to meeting the locals. If what her Master had told her about the people that lived here was correct, they would be too much for her to handle. Even her technological advances would be no match for the people here, given their Force-attunement. So she headed back to her ship, waited until Kendalina was gone, then traced her coordinates.

_Yavin 4... as in the headquarters of the Jedi Order and the current one for the New Republic? I'll have to tread carefully if I want to come here and assassinate Kendalina. But that's the thing, do I want to or not?_ she asked herself quietly. Sure she could lie but at some point, Triclops would discover she still lived then destroy Hemera for it.

That was when an idea hit her, one that went against all her programming. What if she could persuade Kendalina to let her join in an alliance, fake her demise, then kill Triclops? She was the only one alive who knew Triclops' plans and thus, would make the best candidate for it.


End file.
